Persona 5 Revoloution
by Hopedruid
Summary: We know the game. We know the players. But what if both had been different from the start? Feminine male!Bi!Crossdressing!Akira. Different Phanthom thieves. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Two gods eyed each other from across the chessboard.

"I've picked my piece, old friend. How about you?" He said, gesturing to his ace in the hole.

"That's quite the potent piece. Hm, I would normally be worried." The other god responded.

"What do you mean normally?" He said. The two gods had fought numerous times before, and while usually, Blanc (his opponent) won, it was usually at a great cost. Or it was an incomplete victory. This time, Noir was certain, he would deal the final blow.

"I've already picked out my piece. My Ace, and he is a direct counter to yours." Blanc said.

"Oh, and will you allow me to see this mighty champion of yours. The key to humanity's salvation?" Noir said.

"Of course. You've been kind enough to show me yours." Blanc said and snapped his fingers. Suddenly a picture of a house in rural Japan appeared. In a room in this house was a teenager. He was male with dark hair and...

He was in his underwear, singing Lady Gaga at the top of his lungs while dancing around enthusiastically.

"...Of all the champions you've chosen. I think this one might just be the most humiliating." Noir said, shaking his head. Considering Blanc's champions...that was saying a lot.

Blanc coughed, clearly not expecting this.

"No, you must understand, he has style and intelligence, much like your piece. Eccentricities aside, he will be able to overcome any challenge put in his way." Blanc said confidently.

"Really? Then how do you intend to get this piece to Tokyo? That's our chessboard after all, and my piece already resides there." Noir said with a smirk.

"Well, I am intending on having him run into your Black King. Then-" Blanc said but then he stopped. Then the door to the house opened, and two adults came in, resembling very much the teenage piece.

"...Or...this could work too." Blanc said, as he saw the older man's face turn red with rage. The woman's face fell in a look of disappointment. The older man walked towards his son's room and opened it with a hard shove.

That was the point the teenager finally noticed his parent's were home. There was shouting. A bit later the teenager came out with a crestfallen face, fully dressed, to meet his parents who were sitting on the couch. His father still looking quite angry while the mother looked...humiliated.

"I thought I told you to stop listening to that girly shit!" The father said.

"...I like that sort of music, father." He said, his head bowed.

"That's a problem. What is it? Has the media turned you into a homosexual? Has your mother been too nurturing? What's happened to you boy!" He yelled.

"Nobody's turned me into this Father. I've always been like this." The boy said. His mother started to cry.

"Bullshit! If you were like this as a boy I would have beaten it out of you. So tell me son, are you a homosexual? No son of mine will be a homosexual!" He said.

The boy looked up finally, he looked at his father for a moment. Then his mother. Then he looked past them, out the window into the bright, sunny day. It was a beautiful day outside. Spring had begun.

"Only part-time. I like women too." He said. For a moment there was deathly silence. Then a sharp, hard sound. The impact of a grown man slapping his teenage son. The boy flinched a bit, but he stayed firm, he lifted his chin and looked his father in the eyes.

"That's what you get for being a little faggot." the man said.

"Thank you sir, may I have another?" The boy said, his eyes defiant.

"You stupid faggot! Punk! Bitch! I'll beat the gay right out of you!" He said wailing at him with open palms. The boy stood there and took it. No more flinching. Nor resistance. Just took it.

"P-please dear! You must stop!" The boy's mother said, stopping the father's arm in place with her hands.

"Out of my way. This boy is insolent and an embarrassment!" The boy's father said, his eyes half-mad.

"I-I agree but surely there is a better way." She said.

"...What?" The man said.

"Isn't there a place...in Tokyo..." The mother said.

"Yeah. That's right. We could send him there. Have him stay with my old friend. He owes me." The man said.

"Y-yes. Of course and he can attend school during the day. It will all go well. Our son will be cured." the woman said.

"...There's nothing to cure." The boy said, his voice was small, but steady.

"What did you say boy?" The man said, a vein throbbing in his head.

"...I don't need to be cured. It's you two. You're the ones who need to be cured." He said, his voice was absolutely certain. No doubt about it.

"Why you-?!" The man said. Aiming to smack him again.

"P-please! His very sick! It's the illness talking. All that Anime and Manga, and games. And he's been watching all those foreign movies as well...they've made him sick. He needs to be made better. That place will help him." The woman said.

The boy was sent immediately to bed. In the morning, most of his collection of games, anime, manga, his iPod and his laptop, were all destroyed in front of him. Tossed into a fire. His face was a blank mask.

Noir looked again at his side of the board. His face one of intense concentration.

"What's wrong Noir? Getting worried?" Blanc said.

"I wouldn't go that far, friend. However, I may have to adjust my strategy a bit..." Noir said.

"Perfectly fine. I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a game after all." Blanc said. Though privately, he knew it was far more than that.

They played for keeps.


	2. Chapter 2

This teenagers name was Akira Kurusu. He was a second-year high school student. For most of his life he had been getting good grades, but recently they'd been dropping off due to personal issues. He had a small group of friends, but there had been a barrier between them and himself. This was caused by his insecurity about certain personality traits and interests he had. He knew that if people knew who he really was, he would be bullied and harrassed. Because society was sick.

So He put his head down and stayed under the rader. Akira Kurusu was a cautious person. Not exactly an obvious choice for a piece. But Blanc had never been one to choose the obvious piece.

Akira made his way to Tokyo, pretty much on his own. It was...a disorientating change of pace. He'd lived in a smaller town before, one that wasn't quite the hive of activity that Tokyo was. Then again, few places were. He felt a bit like he was thrown into an ocean without being taught how to swim. Still, he made it to the cafe, even with the horrible directions he was given. He walked in not knowing what to expect.

What he found was an older man, one with a beard and wearing glasses. He had a classy sense of style, and was wearing a tired expression on his face.

"...Oh right. You must be the kid." He said.

"Akira Kurusu." He said, pushing up his glasses. They were an affectation, he had perfect vision, but he wore them occasionally.

"Sojiro Sakura. Now I have to go over a few things with you." He said, giving him a once over.

"First off: I know about why you're here." Sojiro said. Akira felt a twinge of panic, violation, worry. He didn't let it show.

"Don't worry. I don't have a problem with it. Your life isn't mine. And personally, I'm not going to enforce you going to that facility of quacks. Your...sexuality isn't something that can be cured." Sojiro said. Akira instantly loved this man.

"Thank you, sir." Akira said.

"I'm not done. Keep your head down. Don't bring boys over if you have any...intentions, and don't do anything that would reflect poorly on me or my cafe. Got that." Sojiro said.

"Of course." Akira said.

"Good. Now, you'll be staying upstairs. I'll show you." Sojiro said and Akira followed.

The room was bare, just an attic without much in it besides a couple of shelves, a couple tables, and a bed. Akira ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"I know. Not exactly ideal circumstances but it will work out for now. If you get a job, then feel free to buy things to spruce up your room. That's basically all. Keep out of trouble. Make sure I don't have to report anything to your parents and make sure you go to bed early tonight. We will have to set you up at your new school tommorow." Sojiro said.

And with that, he left Akira to his new room. Akira relaxed on his bed and pulled up his cellphone. Previously he had noticed a strange app with an occult symbol on his phone but he hadn't had time to actually explore it. Clicking on it said, "This service is not currently available."

Huh.

He looked up a couple of search terms online about a strange app. And while he did find some interesting results, nothing told him anything about what the app could be. It might just be a promotional campaign but maybe...

Maybe it would be his key to magical powers and a whole new world to explore.

He chuckled to himself. That was probably too much to hope for. Today had taken a fairly good turn as it was. This Sojiro guy didn't seem like a complete asshole. Though he had no idea what favor he could owe his father.

Eventually, Akira found himself falling to sleep.

When he woke up he was on a large, four poster bed with pink covers. He felt very much as if he had been sleeping on a cloud. This place felt...comforting. He got up and noticed that he seemed to be in some sort of strange Disney princess/druid grove. The place was sparkling with gems, filled with the color pink, and there was plenty of flowers and trees, and other assorted bits of nature flowing through it. At the far end of this castle/grove lay a man with a pointed noise sitting on a large golden throne. Beside him was a woman in a blue uniform with long blonde hair. She looked fairly young.

"Hello Akira Kurosu, and welcome to your Velvet Room." He said.

Akira once again looked around the room. It wasn't bad, but it was utterly surreal. Normally he would think this was a dream, but something about it felt utterly real.

"What's going on here?" Akira said.

"My master Igor has summoned you. As the game is nearly about to begin." The young woman said.

"Game? What game?" Akira asked.

"The only game that matters. A test of your morality, reasoning ability, skill and of course, your ability to effect change in the mortal world." The long-nosed man, presumably Igor, said.

"But we've been terribly rude. You're not even dressed yet, and introductions must be made." The young woman said and she snapped her fingers. Suddenly Akira found himself in a pink, puffy, frilly dress. It looked a bit like Princess Peaches. He also could feel he was wearing a wig and make-up.

"...What is this?" Akira asked.

"You need to be put in your ceremonial garb. You are a princess, a magical girl and a hero. Though you don't know it yet." The young woman said.

"B-but I'm male..." Akira protested slightly.

"Of course. But that doesn't mean you can't be a princess." The young woman said.

"Now to introductions. My name is Igor, this is my assistant Lavenza and as I have said, this is your Velvet Room, a reflection of your soul and quest." Igor explained gesturing grandly.

Akira blinked.

"You keep talking about a quest. What sort of quest." Akira asked.

"That is for you to figure out." Igor said.

"We will give you some hints. This is a quest to avert calamity. The world is in serious danger." Lavenza said.

"And it's my job to somehow prevent this calamity. How?" Akira asked.

"You will soon awaken an incredible power within you. With that and with your wits, you are to stare down the monster of calamity and avert the End." Igor said.

"The End?" Akira said. He wished they would speak to him in plain Japanese. But then again, they wouldn't be occult figures coming to him in a dream, would they?

"We will meet again, Kurosu-san." Igor said and Akira woke up in his bed.

He might have been a bit sad he wasn't wearing a poofy dress.


	3. Chapter 3

"Looks like your up." Sojiro said to Akira. Akira was already dressed in his uniform and ready to go. It wasn't too bad he thought.

"Well then let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer." Sojiro said. He was all dressed up himself. It seemed to Akira that despite his cynical attitude, he did care about this.

"Sounds good." Akira said. Honestly, awful situation aside, he was actually looking forward to the fresh start. He had felt like he had been drowning in his hometown. Here, he could maybe thrive. Find new friends. Be a new person.

"The school your in is in Aoyama. You'll have to take a train to get there most days. I'll be driving you today, but don't get used to it." Sojiro said. He then walked off.

"Shesh, I don't usually let men in my passenger seat." Sojiro muttered. Akira felt a hundred thousand sexual innuendos racing through his head, but he opted to avoid that pitfall for now. Best to not push his luck with the guy. Sojiro had already been unusually accepting as it was.

They got to the school easy enough. Akira was just glad that he at least had his phone. That way he could at least check up on celebrity gossip and play games on his phone. Though he couldn't help but notice he still had that strange app...

"Do me a favor and behave yourself alright?" Sojiro said when they got to the school's front door.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble." Sojiro said. His voice sounded blunt and yet it was pretty unconvincing.

"We'd like to welcome you to Mihama Academy. As long as you don't cause any problems you should do well here." Said the principal. He was a bald, fat man wearing a bowtie and every inch of him seemed to ooze insincerity. He seemed like he would be more at home as a slimy car dealer or a slimeier politician than as a principal. Akira's last principal hadn't been the greatest either, but even he hadn't given him the immediate creeps like this guy did.

"Everything should be fine. I've talked to the kid." Sojiro said gruffly.

"Just making sure. The boy's grades haven't been the best from what I've seen. He will have to work hard and keep his nose clean if he wants to succeed here." The bald man said.

"Those grades might have been from...certain distractions he had in his hometown. He wants to straighten himself out and get back on track." Sojiro said.

"As long as he understands that we don't tolerate delinquents, troublemakers and those with poor performances in our school, he should be fine." The bald man said with a greasy smile. Akira felt his right hand tighten into a fist in his pocket. He couldn't stand this guy.

"This is the teacher for your class." The bald man said, introducing the woman that had been standing by his side from the start.

Quite frankly, Akira found her breathtaking. The only reason he had been paying as much attention as he had to that creepy principal was to avoid giving that woman undue attention. He felt a bit that he was caught under her spell.

"I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student ID. Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office." She said. It all sounded very perfunctory, and her voice lacked any real emotion as if she was distanced from the entire experience. Akira took his ID, but he hated at how cold it all seemed.

"And if you cause any problems, I won't be able to help you at all." Kawakami said.

"...That is your promise right, Principal Kobakawa?" Kawakami asked.

"He is responsible for all his actions." The Princepal said.

"Fine. You owe me for taking a transfer student at the last minute." Kawakami said.

"Your flexibility will be put into consideration." The Principal said.

"If your done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to." Sojiro asked.

"Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him. From my understanding, he has family troubles. This can quite easily lead to delinquentism and all sorts of troubling behaviors. Do not allow him to cause trouble outside." Principal Kobakawa said.

"I'll make that crystal clear to him." Sojiro said.

"Come to the faculty office when you come to school tommorow, I'll show you to your classroom." Kawakami said with a sigh. Akira couldn't stop his heart from beating a bit faster. He just couldn't stop his crush from taking hold.

"They're treating you like some kinda nuisance..." Sojiro said, as they walked out of the school.

"Why? Is it really that strange that I would transfer in?" Akira asked.

"I wonder...it's probably nothing. If you get expelled I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?" Sojiro said.

"I think I'll scrape by." Akira said.

"I could save us all a little time and just kick you out now, if that's gonna be your attitude." Sojiro scolded.

"...I guess school never changes, does it? Let's get home, I want to beat traffic." Sojiro said.

A bit later, the drive home was taking longer than expected.

"Traffics not moving at all." Sojiro grumbled.

"You're taking the train starting tommorow." Sojiro added. Akira just looked forward. Sojiro had already told him this.

"So how was it? The school I mean. Think you can manage?" Sojiro asked.

"I'm fairly sure. It doesn't seem that different from my old school." Akira said.

"Keep your head down and try to fit in. You'll be able to get through it. Then you can live how you want." Sojiro said. Akira didn't know how to take that advice. He felt like it was smart, however, he really didn't know if he could keep faking forever. He had already begun to crack at his old school.

"Sure. I understand." Akira said.

"If you don't it might reflect back on me. Geez, what a troublesome kid I've taken in." Sojiro said.

"Why did you take me in?" Akira asked.

"I was asked to do it...like I said, and I just happened to agree. Besides I did get some money from it." Sojiro said. It was clear he was withholding things. The radio intoned something about a train derailment.

"So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately." Sojiro said.

Something about that felt off to Akira. Though he wasn't sure why. It was certainly strange for derailments to happen so frequently, but government corruption and incompetence weren't unusual. So why did it make his nose twitch?

"Damn, to think there'd be so much traffic. What a waste of time. I wasn't able to open the cafe today." Sojiro said, as they arrived home.

Akira gave him a look. He was sorry that he had to impose on Sojiro. It's possible he really needed the money daily from opening up his cafe.

"Well go on upstairs. I have something to give to ya." Sojiro said. Akira practically blushed. Didn't the old man get what a double entendre was?The two headed up the stairs.

"Here you go. Your journal." Sojiro said. Giving Akira a black leather journal.

"Thanks." Akira said. He had kept a journal before but it was consigned to the flames. Thankfully he had recorded all the more important memories on a cloud server, but that still hurt.

"There are no real rules in particular to living here. Besides following the law, not bringing a guy over here for...that and not making a nuisance of yourself around paying customers. I don't care about how you decorate this room, or what kind of music you listen to or what clothes you wear or whether or not your going around with guys elsewhere or any of that nonsense, and you can bring girls over for whatever. As long as you follow those rules we will get along well. " Sojiro said. Again Akira felt really reassured. This was more support then he'd ever gotten.

"Thanks...for being so cool." Akira said.

"It's nothing. I just don't care for judgemental bastards who get off on telling people how to leave their lives. Lead it how you want to." Sojiro said, then he got a phone call.

"I-I've got to take this. I'll be going soon. You should probably get to bed." Sojiro said and went down the stairs as he picked up the phone.

Akira sat down on his bed, and decided to record what happened today in his diary. Then Akira checked the train lines on his phone and saw the app again. Clicking on it still just said, service not currently available. Akira sighed. He wished something interesting would happen. Maybe he would visit that strange dreamworld again. He'd always been a fan of the occult. Everything from Tarot cards, western mysticism, and the fantasy genre, to eastern occultism and more surrealistic works. He wished he could go on a strange journey of enlightenment.

Like he could ever do something like that. He couldn't even wear the clothes he wanted to or listen to the music he liked in front of his friends. He could only be half of himself in his hometown, and that didn't feel right at all.

He wouldn't let himself become half of himself. Not here. Not again.

Sleep gradually embraced him.


	4. Chapter 4

Akira woke up, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got dressed. He headed downstairs, smelling the mingling scents of coffee and curry.

"Here. Eat this. Just finish it before customers start coming in." Sojiro said putting a bowl of curry and a cup of coffee on the counter.

"This is my breakfast?" Akira asked.

"What's that reaction for? Just eat it." Sojiro said.

Akira sat down and helped himself. It was really good. He had been a fan of spicy food in general and curry in particular, but this was really good curry. He could taste complexity in amongst the bold spiciness. And the coffee was good too. Perfectly blending together with the curry and helping to wake him up.

"Thanks for the meal. That was...delicious." Akira said.

"Alright. Alright. Just head to school and flip the sign to open for me. Don't forget. And you better hurry up. Your gonna be late if you get lost, country boy." Sojiro said. Akira nodded, left and flipped the sign to open.

Akira felt utterly claustrophobic on the Tokyo subway. There were things to enjoy about being in Tokyo, but this wasn't one of them. He watched the news to distract himself, but it just reminded him of those terrible subway accidents that had already happened, including yesterdays.

Once he got off, he realized to his dismay that it was raining and he hadn't brought an umbrella so he took refuge near the storefront, at least it wasn't coming down heavy. Akira tried checking out his phone for directions to the school. But he was brought to that mysterious eye app, which seemed to have a map function. Akira looked over and noticed a girl taking refuge a bit away from him. She was wearing a cute but comfortable looking outfit with a hoodie. She pulled it down to reveal lots of long blonde hair and blue eyes.

Akira knew this girl.

"Are you Takamaki-san? Ann Takamaki-san?" Akira heard himself saying.

"Uh..Y-yeah. That's me." The girl replied.

"I'm a huge fan of your work as a model! You always do such fashionable clothing and really know how to work it. I love your confidence so much. Even your street clothes are super cute but comfortable at the same time." Akira gushed. Ann looked at him strangely for a moment then smiled.

"Glad to meet a fan." Ann said.

"I'd love to get an autograph from you...but I don't have anything and I'm in a bit of a rush to get to school." Akira said.

"Oh...you go to school around here? Where do you go?" Ann asked.

"Shujin Academy, I'm a new transfer." Akira said.

"Oh. I go to Shujin too. Should have been able to tell from the uniform..." Ann said, and smacked herself on the head sheepishly.

"Really? That's great! If you want we could hang out. I could use a friend." Akira said. Ann smiled, but then shifted uncomfortably a bit.

"I'd like that too...as long as you know I'm not...I mean I'm not available for a realtionship...like romantically." Ann said.

"Oh no! I meant just as friends." Akira said brushing her concerns off. Ann was pretty, but she wasn't his type of girl. He tended to prefer older women or more tomboyish types.

"Ah. Ha ha. Then there's no problem." Ann said, her smile returning to its previous brightness.

"So could you...show me to school maybe? I'm kinda a bit lost." Akira said sheepishly.

"Oh! Totally yeah! That would be no problem." Ann said. Ann began to lead Akira to the school.

"I'm glad you seem to be nice. A lot of the guys that go here are jerks or idiots or perverts. Or all three." Ann said.

"That must be tough." Akira said.

"You don't know the half of it. Even worse though is some of the teachers." Ann said.

"Teachers?" Akira asked.

"Yeah...there's one pervy teacher named Kamoshida. A good guy like you should stay away from him. He walks around acting like he's "king of the castle" or something." Ann said, she seemed troubled. Akira's phone began to respond, like it was picking up on their voices.

Suddenly Akira and Ann both felt a strange painful sensation.

"God, I feel like I got a headache all of a sudden." Ann said.

"That's strange. I got one too." Akira said.

"Ha ha. That's really weird. And kinda creepy. You're not trying to scare me are you?" Ann asked.

"No." Akira said.

"Ha...well then let's keep go-HUH?!" Ann said looking up and being stunned. Akira looked up as well and saw a large castle with a sign out front that said Shujin Academy.

"This...this isn't what it looked like yesterday." Akira said.

"No it certainly did not. What the hell? Shujin has never looked like a castle." Ann said, she was shocked and clearly distressed by this sight. Understandably so.

"Should we go in? See what's up?" Akira said. He felt a strange pull towards this place. Like he needed to go in...just to see what was up.

He felt like his destiny was in there.

"Ah...no way. This is like some creepy horror movie premise and I'll be damned before I get killed by some lunatic or eaten by demons or whatever. Let's just go." Ann said.

"Go where?" Akira asked.

"To our homes." Ann said.

"I can't just go back." Akira said.

"Well, we can't stay here with this freakshow castle! Come back to my place. My parents aren't at home. It will be fine." Ann said, with that, she began to walk off. Frustrated, Akira followed after her, calling out to her.

Shortly thereafter they found themselves standing right where they had just stood. And again.

And again.

And again.

No matter how many times they tried and in what direction they ended up in front of this school turned castle.

"Ok...Alright...Your right. We will have to go inside. It's the only way we'll be able to get out of whatever hellhole nightmare world we've fallen into." Ann said.

Akira sighed in relief. He really didn't want to keep chasing after this girl in some strange world forever. He'd rather get to the bottom of this and discover whatever occult secrets the two had somehow wandered into. That strange dream he had being in the forefront of his thoughts.

"Yeah. We'll run at the first sign of danger." Akira said.

"Ok, but if this works like some kind of video game logic than we will probably have to do something in the school-castle to get out of this place." Ann said.

"Don't worry. I know a bit about the occult." Akira said. Ann blinked a bit at that.

"Ok. Hopefully, we'll be able to figure something out." Ann said. The two of them went up the drawbridge and entered the castle.

The building looked every bit a castle on the inside as it did on the outside. Decorated lavishly.

"This is so weird...I've never been in anything like a castle before." Ann said.

"The sign...it was for the school. So perhaps we've entered the astral plane and this is what the building looks like from their." Akira said.

"Astral plane?" Ann said.

"Yeah, it's a spiritual plane that meshes against our physical world. A sort of bridge between Physical Earth and the Otherworld where spirits and gods exist." Akira said.

"I get the concept. I've played RPGs before. But why would we have crossed over? This shit is like Silent Hill or something." Ann said.

"I did get a strange app on my phone. And it was acting funny before we crossed over. That might be responsible." Akira said.

"So you have a cursed app that got you to cross dimensions?" Ann said. Akira shrugged.

"Maybe." Akira said.

"Damn it. Why the hell did this have to happen to us?" Ann said.

Suddenly a loud clanking sound came towards them. Turning around they saw a knight with a strange helmet fully armed and armored in front of them.

"H-Hold on...back the fuck off. Don't come any closer." Ann said going for her bag. She was shaking but she was keeping her voice clear.

"You must be a spirit of this place. Don't worry. We didn't come here meaning any harm. This whole thing was a mistake. If you tell us how to go back to our world, we will do so immediately. We didn't intend to intrude." Akira said. He was just as scared as Ann, but a bit better at concealing it.

"What are you doing with our Lady Ann." The knight said in a gruff, scratchy tone of voice.

"Lady...Ann." Ann said, blinking.

"I haven't done anything to her." Akira said.

"Liar. You'll be taken to our dungeon. As well the Lady, in case she's an imposter." The voice said. Before the two of them knew it they were surrounded by knights in full plate, carrying swords and wearing shields. There was nothing they could do to getaway.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey wake up." A voice said, and Akira felt himself shaken awake. It was Ann doing the waking, and the two of them were stuck in a cell.

"Shouldn't we be in different cells? Who puts two prisoners in the same one? Especially when there different genders." Akira said, rubbing the back of his head. It hurt like a bitch.

"We should probably be worrying more about the fact that we are locked up. Besides that mistake might help us...Anyway, are you ok?" Ann said.

"I'm fine. You ok?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. We should start looking for a way out of here." Ann said.

They heard screams of agony peeling across the walls. The two rushed over to the bars to see what they could see. They couldn't see much but more cells.

The two searched their cell, trying to keep as calm as possible. In the end, though it yielded nothing. Soon some knights began their clanking approach. Ann and Akira could only stare through the bars.

"Your charges are unlawful entry and impersonation of our Lady. Your sentence is death." The lead knight said in a strange echoey voice.

"No one is allowed to do as they please in my castle." Came another strange voice. An athletic-looking man with a crown and cloak with hearts on it emerged. He had glowing yellow eyes and black hair.

"Kamoshida?" Ann exclaimed.

"Well hello, Gorgeous. It's true that you do look a lot like my Ann. But there is no way you could be her. She behaves much more well mannered. And I just had some fun with her a few moments ago." Kamoshida said leering at Ann. She shivered.

"Let us go free. We meant no offense. We promise not to come back here." Akira said.

"You think you can intrude on my property and just get away with it? No, scum like you shouldn't be allowed to live." Kamoshida said. Then he opened the door and his knights shuffled in.

"Kill the boy first. I want the girl brought to my chambers." Kamoshida said, licking his lips.

"No fucking way." Ann said, and hit one of the Knights hard in the crotch. He let out a groan and collapsed. Ann blinked, half suspecting it wouldn't work or it would at least succeed in hurting her foot.

"Or I see. How cute. You two are together aren't you?" Kamoshida said mockingly.

"Ew. no!" Akira and Ann said simultenisuly.

"No offense." Akira and Ann said apologetically to each other.

"None taken." Akira and Ann said. The two almost giggled, had they not remembered where they were.

"I see...the boys a fag. Then I suppose he'll like being pierced. No matter. We have no time for a more...creative death. Get him and neutralize the girl." The Knights split themselves, a few being strangely hurt by Ann's attacks, but eventually Ann was held against the wall. Akira didn't even try. His head was down. He had accepted it. Just like his parent's abuse. With defiant resignation.

Suddenly he heard a voice in his head.

"You'll let her die?" The voice said.

No. He didn't want to. He'd help her if he could, like she tried to help him. But he couldn't.

"You'll let a man like that, who called you such names and threatened a woman with sexual assault to follow through with his commands? To kill you and keep on with his miserable existence?" The voice said.

No. He didn't want that. Fuck that bullshit. He wanted to live and to make this bastard pay.

But he was weak. He wasn't a hero. He was a feminine geek. He couldn't fight one knight, much less three.

"Your weakness is self-imposed. You can be a hero. All you have to do is sign a contract with me and you will be able to manifest your rebellion."

It was instant. He wanted it. He needed it.

I accept.

"Good."

Akira felt a warm glow radiating from inside him. Then a sudden sharp pain in his head that quickly faded. Energy emerged from the core of his body and spread outward. It knocked back the Knights and soon all eyes were on him.

Akira found himself in a dress. A big pink, poofy dress much like the one from his dream. He was also holding a bouquet of flowers.

A beat. A few blinks. Then Kamoshida erupted into laughter.

"I...I can't believe it. I knew he was a fairy...but this is ah ha ha.." Kamoshida said.

Akira pulled out a rose and throw it into the nearby knight. He dissolved into dust.

Kamoshida stopped laughing abruptly.

"Kill him. Now!" Kamoshida roared.

He planted another rose into a breastplate of a night and hit the third in it's strange mask-like helmet. They both dissolved into nothing. Akira pulled out two more roses and buried them into the back of the Knights holding up Ann. Again they died instantly.

Kamoshida was gone. It was clear he had fled somewhere.

"Is that...you?" Ann asked.

"Yes." Akira said. Normally he'd be nervous. For some reason, he had ended up in a dress, and he didn't feel like he could hide the fact that he was really comfortable in it. But he felt a rebellious energy coursing through him. He didn't care what anyone thought.

"You are so cool!" Ann said and gave him a hug.

"You think so?" Akira asked.

"Yeah! You took out those guys like a pro! And that dress you are wearing is amazing, though I don't know how the hell it got on you. And your make up is really cool too, and that has to be a wig right?" Ann said, gushing over him.

"Yes...I am not sure how I got in this outfit either." Akira said.

"But you like it don't you? I mean it really does suit you." Ann said.

"...Yes, I do like it." Akira said.

"The two of us have got to go shopping together sometime...once we get out of here." Ann said.

"I would like that very much. We will need to be careful. I don't have many roses left." Akira said.

"Uh. Ok. We'll have to try and avoid those knights then." Ann said.

The two left their cell and explored the dungeon, looking for a possible exit. The Dungeon was dank, dark and damp. As one would expect of such a place. There was also no obvious back route out. There was however a hallway. The two decided to head towards it, crossing a bridge over an underground stream that ran through the middle of this section of the dungeon. Another two knights were clanking their way down the hallway. They were obviously in a rush to check out this dungeon, and Akira suspected that more would follow. He used two roses to kill them. He only had four left.

After those knights were taken care of they waited a bit to see if any more were incoming. After a couple of moments, the coast was clear and the two continued to make their way down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway, they stopped dead in their tracks, stunned by what they saw.

There were several people strung up in cages. Teenage boys, and they looked in an utter state of despair.

"So...there are others here." Ann said.

"We need to get out of here. We aren't going to be able to help them." Akira said.

"I know...let's keep going." Ann said.

They kept up their pace, fleeing wherever they could manage. Akira had to use his last four roses to take care of some guards and then the bouquet vanished. Finally, Akira's intuition propelled him to go to a storage room.

"I think...there's a way out here." Akira said.

"How do you know?" Ann said.

"Just a feeling...I can't really explain it." Akira said.

"Ok. I'll help look for it." Ann said, and the two began examining the room.

"There. That's our way." Akira said after a few moments.

"Huh...a ventilation shift? That's just like in the movies and stuff." Ann said.

"Yeah. Let's get going." Akira said. He jumped up into it, barely managing to get his big dress through with him. Ann followed closely behind.

Before they knew it they were in the middle of the street in broad daylight. Akira was back in his regular clothing.

"Welcome back to the real world." Said Akira's phone.

"We're out...how did that even happen?" Ann said.

"I'm...really not sure." Akira said.

"What the hell was that?" Ann said.

"I'm not sure about that either. I'll make sure to research it though." Akira said. He had a lot of ideas about the astral plane or a sub-dimension or some kind of mental world.

"Oh crap! What time is it? Fuck, School is almost over." Ann said. Akira looked at his phone. So it was.

"Well...there isn't much point to going to school now. Want to...hang out?" Ann asked. Akira nodded. Sojiro was going to rake him over the coils for this anyway. Might as well have some fun before then.


	6. Chapter 6

Akira was having the time of his life shopping with Ann. He didn't do much buying, in fact none at all, Ann didn't buy very much either and it was fun to window shop.

"Hm. Do you think that skirt would look good on me?" Ann said, pointing out a pretty mini skirt.

"Pft. You know it would." Akira said.

"Thanks. I think it would look good on you too, ya know? You've got long legs too and kinda a feminine butt." Ann said. Akira felt himself blush a little. He didn't ever have anyone who said something like that to him. He didn't tell anyone about his more feminine side or his occasional desires to crossdress.

"You've been checking out my butt?" Akira said, eager to deflect and tease Ann a bit.

"Not really. I just couldn't help but notice." Ann said. It was surprisingly nonchalant, which was no fun.

"Yeah. Just like I couldn't help but notice that hottie." Akira said, gesturing a bit to a boy about their age. He had longer brown hair with a grey jacket.

"Him...he looks kinda familar." Ann said.

"Yeah. From my dreams. He's just my type of guy." Akira said. He was thirsty, and not just for the coffee he had clutched in his hands.

"Want to talk to him?" Ann said.

"Oh...no I couldn't." Akira said. It felt crazy enough to voice his attraction to other males to Ann, much less try to flirt with one.

"You sure? He could like you." Ann said.

"Probably not, and even if he did. I'm not exactly out of the closet." Akira said.

"Ah. I see." Ann said.

"I should probably head back. I don't want Sakura-san to get too pissed off at me." Akira said.

"Sakura-san? Is that like your dad or something?" Ann asked.

"Family friend that I live with. That's why I've transferred. To live with him." Akira said.

"Oh...ok." Ann said. She clearly had questions, but she didn't want to pry.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school." Akira said.

"Y-yeah." Ann said. With that, the two-headed their separate ways.

In a different world, two chess players looked across the board from one another.

"...An unorthodox first move." Noir said.

"I try to never be too predictible." Blanc replied.

"I'm not sure if that's your strength or your weakness. It's nearly spelled doom for you several times." Noir said.

"Yet still my victories eclipse yours." Blanc said.

"For the moment. But I am closing in. It's only a matter of time." Noir said.

"I suppose so. Still, this would be a terrible game for me to lose." Blanc said.

"...It was your first day and you blew it off." Sojiro said. His voice was the quiet, disappointed kind of angry.

"...Sorry. That wasn't my intention." Akira said.

"Wasn't your...what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sojiro said. His voice rising a bit in volume.

"A situation came up that I couldn't have foreseen. It won't happen again." Akira said.

"What kind of situation would prevent you from getting to school for an entire day?" Sojiro asked.

"...I met a girl." Akira said. Sojiro looked him over. Akira had his head down, his hair covering his eyes.

"...You like her?" Sojiro said.

"Not romantically but...she accepts me." Akira said. Sojiro sighed.

"Fine. But it won't happen again or you're on your ass." Sojiro said.

"Thank you." Akira said, and bowed.

"Don't mention it." Sojiro said. Akira went to his room. He grinned.

Akira had a great day.

When Ann arrived home, she wasn't greeted by anyone. She went to her room, laid on her bed and sighed. She was glad that she met Akira, he seemed like he would be a great friend. However, she had found herself in some sort of bizarre situation where she went to another world. If she was some badass out of anime or manga or video games, then she'd be happy for the chance to adventure and help people out. But she was just a normal girl really. How could she deal with this? What if it happened again?

Ann went on her phone and looked at all the pictures she had taken with her friend Shiho. The pictures that meant so much to her. Shiho. Gorgeous, amazing Shiho, the friend she cared so much about, was in trouble. And Ann couldn't do anything to help her.

Or...could she?


	7. Chapter 7

Akira dreamed again.

Once again he was back in that strange place. Complete in his beautiful magical girl dress. Feeling like a princess.

"You're awake." Said the girl. She stared at him with those emotionless eyes that seemed to cut through him.

"First off. Let us celebrate our reunion." The Long-nosed man said.

"Celebrate...?" Akira asked, still quite confused.

"Oh...? You've begun to awaken your powers. Special ones at that. Your quest can finally begin." The Long-nosed man said.

"What...? My powers? All I could do was put on a dress and throw roses at those monsters." Akira said.

"Oh...That's not all you will be able to do. You have awakened to your own special magic. And soon you will have a persona of your very own. Personas are, in other words, a "mask" armor of the heart used when confronting the world." The long-nosed man said.

He understood what he was saying a bit. He'd worn a mask all his life after all.

"I have great expectations for you." The long-nosed man said.

"What do you mean? About my quest?" Akira asked.

"There is no need to worry. You will learn when the time comes." The long-nosed man said.

"By the by, have you learned how to use the metaverse navigator? Using it will allow you to travel between reality and Palaces." Igor said.

"Metaverse navigator?" Akira asked.

"I bestowed it upon you to begin your training as a princess and magical girl." The long nosed man said.

"If you keep training, we know you'll become a magnificent magical girl and a truly extraordinary princess." The girl said.

"It must be disheartening to use the metaverse navigator alone. Should there be others who would be your subjects, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent princess." The long-nosed man said.

"Subjects? I have no desire to have subjects." Akira said.

"Merely a turn of phrase. A metaphor to describe your companions." The long-nosed man said.

"But alas, now is the time for your awakening. Or should I say a return to your slumber?" The girl said.

"Wait! How do I use my powers? When will I awaken my Persona? What am I expected to do? You haven't told me anything." Akira asked.

"You will learn it all on your own in your time." The long-nosed man said. Then Akira knew no more.

The next morning, Akira wasn't exactly eager to get into school. He was likely going to get scolded by a million people, and he would likely have even more eyes on him then he would have otherwise. However, at least he'd get to see his new friend Ann, and his crush the beautiful Ms. Kawakami, though the latter would likely be less than pleased to see him.

He also wished his closet was filled with more feminine clothes, but that was more of a long term wish than an immediate concern. Still, it was something to keep in mind. A niggling little annoyance that helped to spoil his good mood from yesterday.

When he arrived at school he ran into Ann talking with another girl. Akira approached the two.

"Hey." Akira said.

"Hey. Akira this is my friend Shiho, Shiho this is Akira." Ann said introducing the two.

"Hi." Shiho said. She seemed like a friendly enough person, but it looked like she was really stressed out about something.

"I think you guys will get along great." Ann said.

"Well, I'm pleased to make new friends." Akira said. He hadn't made new friends since early junior high.

"Y-yeah. I look forward to getting to know you." Shiho said. Ann giggled.

"You two are so awkward. Don't worry. I'll help you break the ice." Ann said.

"Hey. Your the new kid aren't you?" Said an adult male voice. Akira turned around to see a familiar person standing on the steps. The king of the castle, Kamoshida.

"That'd be me." Akira said.

"You didn't show up yesterday, neither did Tamaki-san. Why's that?" Kamoshida said.

"Well sir, I think Sakura-san ought to have called the school administration and told them. Let's leave it to the people who need to know." Akira said.

The air was tense, like Akira had just challenged him to a duel. Guns at dawn. Ann was staring wide-eyed, Shiho flinched and had her eyes on the ground.

"You really think your clever don't you boy." Kamoshida said. Akira felt his stare of contempt. He stared back. Akira tried to beat him through force of will but his eyes...

They felt like his fathers.

Akira's eyes fell to his feet.

"Ha ha. And you are. Just don't skip on school again, and please don't drag Takami-san into anything bad ok? Just trying to look out for you. " Kamoshida said, giving Akira a pat on the shoulder.

Akira felt sick.

"Shiho. I'll see you after class again today. Alright?" Kamoshida said. Shiho nodded. Ann tensed. Then Kamoshida left.

"W-We should probably get to class." Ann said.

"I should probably talk to Kawakami. I...sorta owe her a personal apology. I did essentially promise her I wouldn't be a nuisance." Akira said.

"Ok. Do you want me to come?" Ann said.

"No. It's fine. I'd rather do it alone." Akira said. Really the opportunity to talk alone with his lovely teacher was all he wanted.

"O-Ok. Well. Good luck with that." Ann said. They entered the school and then went their separate ways, Akira heading to the faculty office.

"Care to explain yourself?" Kawakami said when she saw him. It was clear she was annoyed with him.

"I'm terribly sorry. I just...got lost." Akira said.

"Really? Just how bad are your navigational skills?" Kawakami said.

"Abysmal." Akira said. Kawakami sighed.

"Will you pull yourself together? You were given fair warning. Now, I heard that you were spending time with a girl from Sakura-san. Was that girl Takami-san?" Kawakami interrogated.

"Yes, it was." Akira said.

"Listen it would probably be good for the both of you if you became friends, but don't get into any shenanigans ok? Ann's been doing ok so far and I don't want her grades in the tank because of some boy. I don't want that for you either." Kawakami said.

"My grades being in the tank? Or me having boy troubles." Akira said.

"Ha ha. Just take my advice ok? Come with me. You'll introduce yourself right at the beginning of class." Kawakami said.

"Ok." Akira said.

He quite enjoyed the opportunity to follow her, it gave him a great view of her derriere, which was just perfect. He was brought out of his ogling by Kawakami's voice.

"Don't say anything unnecessary, ok? You've already caused a bit of a stir skipping out on school and you don't want to make yourself stand out anymore." Kawakami said.

"Fine. Seems reasonable." Akira said.

Walking into the classroom, Akira instantly heard a lot of mumbling.

"That guy skipped out on his first day? Is he crazy?" Someone said.

"I heard he was some kind of delinquent back from where he came from."

"And people said he was spotted with Ann Tamaki, is he some kind of player or something?"

"He looks kinda normal though..."

"He's kinda cute."

"Everyone settle down. Today we have a new transfer student. All right. Please say something to the class." Kawakami said in her teacher voice.

"I'm Akira Kurusu, nice to meet you all." Akira said.

"He seems like the quiet type."

"Something about him is kinda intense."

"Scary..."

"Uh...so...your seat will be...hmm. Over there, the one that's open." Kawakami said. Akira noticed a guy with short blue hair that looked pretty beat up. He went over and took the seat behind Ann. Ann was staring out the window, very clearly ignoring him.

"Those two definitly know each other."

"He must have tried his moves on her and it didn't work."

"Or it did and things are awkward."

"She's such a slut, I wouldn't doubt it."

Akira felt very alone. Trapped in hostile territory. Without even Ann for help. And he was powerless to help her too, for what could he really say or do?

"Oh right. The volleyball rally's tomorrow. Everyone's just changed classes so make sure to get to know each other. Well then let's get class started. Who's on duty today?"

"Everyone please rise." The blue-haired boy said.

Eventually class broke and Akira bailed out of the room. However before he could get very far, he stopped dead in his tracks. Something was odd. He could sense that he was in the castle. For a moment he could even see the castle interior on top of the normal hallway.

"Hey Akira, I wanted to talk to you-are you ok?" 's voice spoke. Akira was clutching his head. He felt a little dizzy. It was a strange sensation he had just felt, and it took him some time to come to grips with it.

"Y-yeah I'm fine it's just...does this place have any...ghost stories or legends or the like?" Akira asked.

"Ghost stories? Legends? I dunno. Probably. What's that all about." Ms. Kawakami said.

"It's...nothing. Sorry." Akira said.

"Ok. Just...I want to let you know I'm sorry that people are gossiping about you and Ann. There's not much I can do, but I really think it will pass in time if you two just keep your noses to the grindstone." Ms. Kawakami said. Somehow, Akira doubted that, but he appreciated the sentiment.

"Thank you." Akira said.

"Just...don't try to stick out too much, ok?" Ms. Kawakami said. Then she turned and left. It was a hard thing for Akira to hear from her. Being himself would mean sticking out. So he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

"Akira, can we talk?" Ann said, exiting the classroom as Kawakami was retreating down the hall.

"Yeah, sure." Akira said.

The two met on the roof.

"I'm sorry about how people were treating you and talking about you. That behavior is uncalled for." Akira said.

" Thinks. They judged you without knowing you either, just because of me. So I'm sorry for that as well." Ann said.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Akira said.

"No, but it's not your fault I'm judged either. I was judged before you even showed up." Ann said.

"I'm sorry. Just know that I won't ever judge you." Akira said.

"Thanks. Your a good guy and I really appreciate that. But...we have to discuss what happened at that strange place yesterday. I kinda went into denial after it happened. But it definitly did happen, right?" Ann said.

"No doubt about it." Akira said.

"Well...you seemed to know more about it. I don't know too much about the occult, just stuff from anime and games. So...do you know what that was?" Ann said.

Akira considered telling Ann about the Long-Nosed man and the strange room he kept waking up in his dreams. But he didn't really know the meaning of them himself so it seemed pointless to tell her until he knew more.

"I'm not sure yet. I have a few ideas, but nothing conclusive. I have to do some research." Akira said.

"How about we do that research now? Together?" Ann asked.

Akira thought about it. She seemed suddenly hyper-motivated to find out about this place. Which did make sense. After all, it was a pretty significant thing to happen, and it was only natural she wanted to figure out where she had gone too and almost died. Still, something felt slightly odd, like she had some ulterior motive than just knowledge for knowledge sake.

It didn't matter though. He needed to know about it anyway. Mainly because he intended on going back.

"Ok then. Sure. I'll text Sojiro and let him know I'll be a bit late." Akira said. He got out his phone and quickly texted Sojiro that he was going to be hanging out with a friend.

Thus it was that the Investigation began.


	8. Chapter 8

First Akira and Ann hit the school library. They didn't really expect much in the way of books on the occult, but it was closest and it couldn't hurt to check. The occult section was a bit bigger then Akira expected, maybe the privilege of being a city school, but it was still pretty anemic. Mostly just world religion, a few new age-y things, and a couple of basic tarot premiers.

"This stuff doesn't seem like it can tell us anything." Ann said sounding a bit annoyed.

"No. It probably can't." Akira said.

"Well, where too next?" Ann said.

"I dunno. You know Tokyo better then me." Akira said. Ann gave him a look, then sighed.

"True enough. There's a book store in Shibuya. We can see if that has anything." Ann said.

"Ok. I'll try and look a couple things up online. I have a few occult sources." Akira said.

"Huh, you really are an occult junkie aren't you?" Ann said.

"You could say that." Akira said. He had already gotten out his phone and began pulling up some tabs.

"That sort of stuff is really cool. Though a bit scary too." Ann said.

"Yeah. That's how a lot of people view it." Akira said. He was posting some comments describing his experiences to several occult boards of varying levels of seriousness. He needed to reach as many people as possible, though likely on some boards he'd get a lot of trolls and memes as responses. Price to pay for posting anything serious on shitposting boards, still, information could come from unlikely sources.

Akira still wasn't quite used to these crowded Tokyo subways. It was super awkward, and he felt a bit claustrophobic. Ann seemed a bit more comfortable. Akira had difficulty picturing Ann looking uncomfortable. She did have quite the sense of grace and confidence. He supposed that's why she made such a great model. Akira could imagine her scaling buildings with practiced ease. Maybe she'd be a cat burglar in her future life.

Akira bailed out of the car at his first opportunity. There were a lot of advantages to the city, but crowded public transport was not one of them.

"Hold on there you ruffian!" Squawked an older woman's voice. Akira turned around to see a middle-aged woman, with heavy, makeup. Her dress looked quite expensive.

"Are you referring to me?" Akira asked. This wasn't something he needed.

"Of course I am! You touched my bottom! I won't stand for sexual harassment like that." The woman said.

This was bad. Groping was a common problem in Japanese subways from what Akira understood. It was indeed possible that someone had laid hands on her and she was merely mistaken as to the culprit. Or it could have been mere accidental contact. Akira didn't purposly grope her, and he was fairly certain he didn't acidently touch her either. At least not on that body part. The question was, how could he convince this woman.

"I'm sorry to hear that you feel violated. However, I didn't touch you, at least not purposely, in fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't touch you at all." Akira said.

"That's a lie! I know it was you who did it!" She said furiously.

"Again, I'm sorry, but I didn't do anything purposely to you. I don't know what else I can say." Akira said.

"I know you overprivileged little brats running around thinking you own the world! I'll sue your cute little butt off. That'll teach punks like you." The woman said.

Akira felt utterly powerless. Who would believe a punk like him over an established, clearly upper-middle-class woman like her? What could he do?

"Hold it. Akira wouldn't do anything like that ok. So don't even pretend that you are anything more than the one who's wrong here." Ann said, as she stepped into view.

"Ann." Akira said practically under his breath.

"Who are you? His little girlfriend?" The woman said.

"No. I'm a witness. I saw the whole thing. He didn't touch you. In fact, no one touched you. You just wanted an excuse to lord yourself over someone else." Ann said.

"How dare you!" The woman said.

"No. How dare you. Not only are you vile enough to accuse someone of something you know they didn't commit. But you also are a disgrace to all the victims of actual sexual crimes. Scum will use your example to dismiss people who have been assaulted." Ann said.

The woman looked from Ann to Akira, furious and searching.

"Punks like you aren't worth my time." She said, before leaving in a huff.

"Thanks. You saved me." Akira said.

"No problem. Punks like us have to stick together." Ann said. She sounded a bit sad. Akira thought she might not be telling him everything.

The walk to the bookstore was fairly uneventful. The bookstore itself had a much better occult section then the library. However, the research results were pretty disappointing. They didn't find much that Akira didn't already know.

"So your thinking that place might be an astral plane or something?" Ann said.

"Yeah. Something like that. A place like that would most likely make it easier to draw upon magic and special abilities. Which would explain my uh...transformation." Akira said.

"I see. " Ann said.

"I'm going to check my forum posts." Akira said.

"Ok, I'll keep skimming through." Ann said.

"Sounds good." Akira said as he took out his phone.

Most of the responses were disappointing. Either disbelief or joke posts or answers that really didn't help him. However just as he was losing hope, he found a response that popped out to him.

"Hey, I've got something." Akira said.

"Huh? Really? What is it?" Ann said.

"TheKingsGame writes: There is a third realm between our world and the spiritual world, that being the realm of cognition. In this place, one can tap into the subconscious minds of humans. You were chosen by fate. Don't deny it. Head back to the realm of cognition and unlock your abilities. That's the next step." Akira said.

"Good. I wanted to do that anyway." Ann said.

"Why's that?" Akira said.

"Because I need to go back...and stop Kamoshida." Ann said.

"Stop Kamoshida from doing what?" Akira said.

"Not here. We should talk somewhere else. How about we get a bite to eat?" Ann said.

"Sounds good." Akira said.

They headed to a nearby cafe and got a window booth. They ordered and then went silent for a few moments. Ann looked deep in thought and Akira wasn't going to pressure her to start. This seemed like it was difficult for her.

"Kamoshida...has been abusing students." Ann said.

"Not surprising. He seems the type. How has he been abusing them." Akira said.

"Physically...verbally. Even...sexually. He hurts everyone but he likes to pick out girls to..." Ann said.

"You don't have to finish." Akira said.

"We need to stop him Akira. I need to go over to that other world and put a stop to him. I don't know-how but...one way or the other he needs to be stopped." Ann said.

"I assume he's untouchable on this side?" Akira asked.

"Yes. All because of that stupid Olympic medal. Adults will fall over themselves to protect people who have fame and money, no matter how terrible they are." Ann said.

"I'm with you. Whatever we have to do to stop him, I'm in all the way." Akira said.

"Thank you." Ann said.

Akira felt a tingle go down his spine. It felt like his life was finally beginning.


	9. Chapter 9

"So what's the plan now?" Ann asked, they had finished their meal in a silent, sombre fashion.

"I'll leave that decison in your hands. We could try and go back to this so called cognition realm right now. Or we can wait til another day. We've done a lot today, so I don't want to pressure you." Akira said.

"No. I want to do it. We should unlock our powers. If you can do it I probably can too...right?" Ann asked.

"Yes. That's very much my belief." Akira said.

"Then I should figure out how to access it and control it." Ann said.

"Alright then. We shall go and try that now." Akira said. The two payed for their meal and left. They went into an alley.

"Now, you called Kamoshida the king of the castle correct. Then we managed to be transported to his realm, which resembled the school but was also a castle, with Kamoshida as the king." Akira said.

"Yeah. It was pretty creepy." Ann said.

"If this is a realm based on cognition, then it would only make sense for that place to be twisted by his own cognition. You were right, Kamoshida does view the school as his castle. My phone app also opened up at that time, so there must be a connection there." Akira said. He got out his phone and clicked on the app.

"Name Location, target and cognition." The app said. Akira grinned. Ann would have called it a frightening grin if it was on anyone else's face.

"School, Kamoshida, Castle." Akira said. And in a moment their environment changed.

"We're back...in this strange world." Ann said. She looked a little worried. Less freaked out then last time, but still unsettled. That was probably a normal reaction, Akira thought, no it was probably a great deal more brave then most. After all she knew things within this realm could kill her. Both of them almost died last time.

Akira's reaction, though he kept his cool outwardly, was one of utter excitement. He always was fascinated by the occult. He had always wanted more to life. And finally he was getting what he wanted.

"And we're right outside the castle." Akira said, inclining his head forward.

"This place is...really weird. I suppose when we return we'll return just outside the school." Ann said.

"That's a strong possibility." Akira said.

"Your not in your dress yet." Ann said.

"Yeah, that's unfortunate. It means I'll have to figure out how to initiate the transformation." Akira said

"Ok. How do you plan on doing that?" Ann asked.

"I'm going to bust into the castle and hope things work out." Akira said.

"Uh...I'm sorry?" Ann said.

"The last time my transformation activated it was in the castle while I was in danger. So what better way to get it to activate again?" Akira asked.

"Your going into that dangerous place to get a glorified make-over? Akira, you don't even know if that does give you any powers, besides the killing flowers. If you want a make-over that badly, I can give you one at any time." Ann said.

"It's not just about fashion. Though I'll have to take you up on that. Don't worry. I've got good information that I think has been guiding me here." Akira asked.

"From where? From your occult forums? From this...Kingsgame guy?" Ann said.

"I've been having dreams." Akira said.

"Dreams?" Ann said.

"Yes. I wake up in a castle with a dress much like the one that I got changed into here. There's a strange girl and a man with a long nose. They told me that I had a quest." Akira said.

"Your serious, aren't you." Ann said.

"Yes." Akira said.

"I belive you. And I'll put my trust in you." Ann said.

"Thank you. I hope to earn that trust." Akira said.

After some investigation, The two found a way in. A gap in the wall that lead through the ventilation shaft into the room they had found last time.

Akira gestured through the door and the two began to cautiously look out. There was a guard not too far away from them. A guard in a mask and armor.

A mask...

Wasn't that what the long-nosed man had called Persona? That was supposed to be related to his special power wasn't it? He said that there was a Persona power and also special magic.

Akira's intuition was pointing him in a certain direction. He had to take off the guards mask.

Akira began to step out behind the wall.

"What are you doing." Ann hissed. Akira put a finger to his lips and took another step forward. Ann grabbed his hand. Akira turned his head sharply.

"I need to do this. Trust me." Akira said in so faint a whisper Ann practically had to read his lips. Ann hesitated for a moment, then she let go.

Akira slid through the room silently. It wasn't like he hadn't learned to be stealthy. After all an effeminate bi kid living with massive homophobes as parents had to learn to be to survive. However this was different. He felt like he was almost a part of the shadow itself, and his footsteps made no sound to his own ears.

Akira jumped on top of the guards shoulders in a slick, near-effortless motion. He didn't know he had it in him. The guard was stunned, enough that Akira was able to get a grip on it's mask.

"Show me your true form." Akira said. The words came from pure instinct, like he was born knowing them.

The guard indeed changed form, knocking Akira off it's shoulders, which had now disappeared. It was, in truth, a Jack O Lantern creature.

"So that's what you are huh? Fascinating." Akira said.

"Your an intruder! Master will be pleased when I bring you his head!" The Jack O' Lantern said. It took out a knife from it's cloak and went after Akira. Akira managed to dodge.

"So you can fight just as easily in that form as you can in that guard form. Huh. I wonder why you take that form? To act as armor? As an effect of Kamoshida's cognition?" Akira asked.

"Shut up and die." It yelled as it continued to thrust with it's knife. Akira continued to dodge. Fairly effortlessly at first, but over time he was getting tired.

Eventually the Jack O Lantern started getting hits in. A shallow cut on his arm, a knick on his cheek, a shallow slash to his abdomen.

And Akira's transformation continued to fail to take place.

"Why? Why am I not transforming? What could be going wrong?" Akira said. He was on his knees.

"Ha ha ha. You mean you don't realize how to access your powers? Yet you still came here! That's rich. Ha ha ha! You're a damn fool." The Jack O Lantern said in it's harsh, screechy voice.

"Shut up." Akira said.

"What the hell! Do you have some sort of death wish kid! Ha ha ha!" The Jack O lantern continued.

"I said shut up." Akira said.

"Gods! You really are a numbskull! You should have stayed home kid. Ha ha ha. If you run along now I might just let you live! Cause you've amused me ever so much! Ha ha ha." Jack O Lantern laughed.

"I told you to shut up." Akira said, getting to his feet.

"What's the matter kid? Did I hurt your feelings?" The Jack O Lantern said.

"There's nothing wrong with trying. There's nothing wrong with putting yourself on the line for something important. Even if I die now...I won't regret it. Because I finally tried to live life for myself. Finally tried to do something for someone else. Finally didn't back down because of scum like you and your master." Akira said.

"Hee hee ha. Don't worry kid, you won't regret it. Not until your denied your eternal award when I gobble up your soul! Ha ha ha. Die in ignorance fool!" The Jack O Lantern said, heating up it's blade and beginning to charge.

His knife, however, wound up hitting thin air.

"Ha? What happened. Where'd he go?" Jack O Lantern said.

"Right behind you." Akira said.

Jack O lantern turned around and saw Akira. Only he wasn't in his blazer and plaid pants. He was now in a pink dress and make up, with a wig to top it off. He was also holding a pink umbrella topped with a spike.

"Wh-what? No! You've awakened? As a...Magical Girl? How?" Jack O Lantern said.

"Because I don't care what weak spirits like you have to say. I don't care what anyone has to say. I will live as myself and fight for others. Nothing will be able to stop me." Akira said.

"N-No. I'll win! Playtime is over. Agi!" Jack O lantern said. Sending out a torrent of flame from it's lantern. Akira dodged it.

"Now die." Akira said and followed through quickly by stabbing the creature through it's pumpkin head with his umbrella.

It disintegrated in an instant.

"What a weak spirit. If the rest of the spirits here are so easy, this place will be boring." Akira said. Then he remembered who he was with.

"Ann." He said and went to the storage room. Ann was curled up on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, crying.

"Ann. Are you ok?" Akira asked.

"I'm fine...I"m always fine." Ann said through her tears.

"What's wrong?" Akira asked.

"I...just stood there and watched as that thing attacked you. I couldn't move." Ann said.

"Is that all? Please, I didn't expect you too. I wanted you to stay here. It was safest that way until I awakened to my power." Akira said.

"B-But you were fighting to help me and I couldn't do anything. I never can do anything." Ann said.

Akira offered her a hand.

"Your doing something now. So dry your tears and get up. You'll be awakening to your power soon, and I am intrigued at finding out what form it takes." Akira said.

"...Ok." Ann said, and she dried her tears and got up.

"Now then, follow me." Akira said and the two left, with Akira leading.

"You can move really well in that." Ann said.

"It's strange, it feels kinda weightless. And the heels kinda feel like part of my feet. It must be something to do with their supernatural nature." Akira said.

"Ah. That makes sense. I was kinda wondering if you've ever worn a dress before." Ann said.

"...No." Akira said.

"I see. But you want to right?" Ann said.

"Yes." Akira said.

"I-I don't mean to pressure you." Ann said.

"Your not. But we should probably discuss things at a better time." Akira said.

"Oh. Of course. Your right. Sorry, I talk a lot when I get nervous sometimes." Ann said.

The duo headed through the hallways. Both so like their school and so utterly alien to it. The decor seemed to match Kamoshida's arrogance and cruelty. The security was heavier than before but not as heavy as Akira expected. Kamoshida clearly didn't take then prospect of them returning too seriously.

All the better for them.

They finally managed to isolate one hanging around in an empty room, just standing there. It was offputting even to Akira, how they stood still and stared into the distance when they weren't actively patrolling. Was this like sleep to them?

It didn't really matter. They could be killed, and Akira had all the tools to do so.

"Ann, it's your moment. Give it a shot." Akira said.

"Huh?" Ann said.

"Go up to him and take off his mask." Akira said.

"Me? I...I don't know if...I can." Ann said.

"Trust me you can. The mask seems to come off fairly easily. Possibly it has something to do with the nature of these spirits, or of this cognition realm. It's easy." Akira said.

"But I don't know what to do. I don't know how to awaken myself. And I can't...just keep dodging like you." Ann said.

"I'll be here waiting in the wings if you need any help. I've got my umbrella and my Roses." Akira said.

"Roses? I don't see any on you?" Ann asked.

"I know. It's hard to explain but I...feel them in my mind. If I concentrated hard on them, I could make them appear. I just know it." Akira said.

"Ok. I'll trust you. I'll give it a shot." Ann said. She took her breath, closed her eyes and walked forward.

She showed off the same grace as normal, and like Akira had, she was sneaking with a beyond mortal level of skill. Sure enough, Ann was able to jump up and rip the mask off the guard's face with ease.

However, she fell to the ground and...nothing appeared. The armor vanished but there was no spirit.

"What the hell!" Ann said, she had fallen right on her backside and her primary emotions were shock and pain.

"Somethings wrong." Akira said.

"Fools. You think you could really get away with trespassing?" Said a strange voice. Chains wrapped around the door, closing and locking it shut.


	10. Chapter 10

Akira looked around. His hands were tingling with energy and he had goosebumps. He had his weapons. He could kill this thing, if he could find it.

"Sorry to intrude but we had little choice. We are coming into our powers, surely you must understand." Akira said. He still saw nothing around him, could this creature be invisible?

A thought occurred suddenly and with a sidestep quicker then he thought he could manage he avoided a large metal chain with a terribly sharp point at the end. It hit the floor with a bang and Ann scooted further away. That had been too close.

Akira looked up and saw the thing. It was a spider, black and hideous with a design on the back of it's abdomen that looked like a woman's silhouette. Instead of spinnerets, it had that damn chain spear.

"I understand exactly. You are trying to kill our master. This is the penalty." It hissed and shot the chain spear again. Again Akira was able to duck out of the way. The spear passing just over Akira's shoulder and inserting itself into the wall.

The spider struggled to get itself free from the wall.

Akira smiled.

He snapped his finger and his deadly bouquet appeared, he threw one of his roses and it connected with the spider. Black blood poured from it as it let loose an unearthly shriek.

Akira stepped closer, dematerialized his roses and got out his umbrella.

"It's checkmate. Shame. I'd wanted a bit more of a challenge. Maybe then I could unlock my magic. The umbrella and roses are nice, but they leave a little something to be desired." Akira hefted his umbrella and prepared to stab the spider right through it's head.

"...Naive fool." It said.

Suddenly Akira heard the rattling of chains. Fast and coming from his rear. He couldn't get out of the way in time and he felt a terrible shooting pain in the back of his head as the hilt of the chain spear caught him hard on the back of the head. Dazed and in pain he fell on his stomach.

The back of his head felt wet. Blood, no doubt, he wondered if he had a concussion.

"It's a shame. I sense great power within you. You'd have been a far tastier snack if you had only had some time to devolp your skills. But sadly,

I am indebted to my master for providing me a place to stay. So it's time to die." The spider spirit said and it launched it's terrible spear one final time.

Akira expected death. Perhaps darkness and new life. Perhaps an afterlife. Something. Instead, the world simply seemed to slow, as realizations gradually dawned.

Ann had moved.

The spear had stopped.

Ann had the chain in her hand and was holding onto it for dear life. Keeping it from falling into Akira at devastating speed.

"H-How. You are a young girl. You can't possibly have that much strength." The spider said.

"I...didn't know I had this in me either. You never do until someone important is on the line. I just...couldn't just do nothing." Ann said.

She looked shaky, but she was holding the chain steady. In fact, the spider looked like it was struggling. It tried to withdraw, but Ann kept a hold on it, only shifting slightly towards the spider as it fervently attempted to bring it's weapon back to it.

Akira struggled to his feet.

"Ha. Ha. Ann...your amazing. I thought I was doomed, but I shouldn't have ever doubted you. As for you, spider spirit. I think you might just have knocked something loose, making me bleed like that.

Thank you. " Akira said and he held one gloved hand out, palm open.

"Farewell." Akira said and a large thorn appeared out of nowhere from near Akira's palm and went racing towards the Spiders head, It lodged there and the spider let out one final shriek and a death rattle before disappearing completely, leaving only traces of it's blood.

Akira looked at his palm. Magic. He performed magic.

"Akira! You did it." Ann said.

"It would have been impossible without you. I must thank you once again. You saved my life." Akira said.

"Of course. You're my friend and your fighting for me. I had to fight just as hard for you." Ann said.

"Aw. Thanks, but we should probably save the emotional stuff for later. Maybe after some window shopping and coffee?" Akira said.

"Sounds great." Ann said with a smile.

The chains on the door had also evaporated, allowing Akira and Ann to make their escape.

They didn't have far to run through. In a matter of moments, they were back in the entrance hall, surrounding them. On the staircase, in the room proper, and appearing out from every hallway they could see, including the one they had just come out from, were knights.

"A thief." One knight said.

"A rebel! Treasonous slime!" Another said.

"Magical girls aren't allowed her. Unless they are in chains." Another said.

"He's stolen our princess."

"That's not our princess! It's an imposter."

"You lie! It could only be our princess."

"Silence everyone!" Kamoshida said. He emerged from down the staircase, appearing as if out of thin air. Never had this royal Kamoshida seemed quite as arrogant, quite as triumphant, as he did now.

Akira couldn't blame him. This situation did look quite grim. Willow was fairly certain he only had two more of those Thorn spells left in him, his roses couldn't hope to kill them all and he'd be overwhelmed with just his umbrella. Maybe if he had Ann fighting side by side, or that intriguing idea of a Persona, he'd be able to kill enough to escape, or even just ending Kamoshiada. He was pretty sure if Kamoshida died this whole place would collapse, and they could get out.

As it was though, it all seemed pretty grim.

"What a pair you two make. The faggot and the whore. When I'm done with the two of you, I'll mount your heads on the battlements as a warning to all my enemies. Ah god, that turns me on. But I'll have to play with you two first. You know what I'm after, don't you Ann." Kamoshida said putting his hand on her cheek, she shuddered and drew back, but a Knight grabbed her arms and kept her in place.

"Stay away from her." Akira said.

"Why should I? She's not yours. You're a useless fag. A hopeless virgin beta. It's your fault Japan is in the sorry state that it's in. One day we'll get rid of you and restore this country to it's past glory. Why should you even care if I take her?" Kamoshida said.

Akira could only stare at Kamoshida. It sounded quite a lot like his father. His homophobia. His blatant misogyny. His insane rants about Japan's past glories. It all felt familar. And Akira felt something growing within him. A power he just had to grab and he'd be able to fight all this. This lunacy.

A part of him felt afraid of it. It felt like he was losing control.

"I'm..not...anyone's possession." Ann said. There was a steel to her voice. Ann wasn't frightened. She was pissed. And she was determined to fight.

"Of course not babe. That's what's wrong. You don't have anyone to take care of you. But don't worry. I'll take care of you. And if you take good care of me in return then I'll let you live. You can join the others in servicing me." Kamoshida said.

"Shut your filthy mouth. You're not a man. Akira's more a man now then you'll ever be. You're a monster in human flesh. A predator. And I'll take everything you are. All your worthless achievements, the respect people have for you, and I'm going to throw them all away. You'll be nothing. And before the end you'll be crying and begging for mercy at my feet." Ann said.

Kamoshida laughed. Soundlessly at first, and then raising in volume til it was echoing off the walls.

"What can a weak little girl like you possibly accomplish?" Kamoshida said, as his laughter faded. Ann looked up at him for the first time since the knights had grabbed her.

"I'll steal the world." Ann said.

"Carmen." Ann said. Or at least it was Ann's voice. It seemed suddenly to come from all over, from every direction and it seemed almost like a thought implanted in Akira's head.

A feminine figure emerged from out of nowhere dressed in a blazing red dress with lots of cleavage.

This was Carmen, Akira knew at once

"Agi. Agi. Agi. Agi." Ann said, almost as if in a trance and the feminine figure began throwing fire at the knights, sometimes throwing physical flames. Sometimes Carmen would simply snap her fingers and the knights would burst into flames. No matter what they would fall.

Akira began fighting. Piercing the Knights armor with Roses and his umbrella. Battling to Ann, who stood in the center of all this flames.

But she looked different now. She had a mask and a tight red leather cat suit, and her eyes were filled with rage and determination.

Kamoshida was gone. Long fled. And his knights were in taters. Dead or retreating.

"Ann we need to get out of here now, while we can." I said.

"No, I want to kill him. He needs to-" Ann said.

"He might, but not now. We are weak. And we need a plan, we can't just decide this now." Akira said. Ann looked at him for a moment like an enemy. Then she seemed to come to her senses.

"Yes...your right. I...let's just go." Ann said.

The two were out of the castle and back in the real world like that. Both were shaken, though Ann's more open nature showed it off a bit better than Akira's more reserved persona.

"I...I nearly killed him Akira." Ann said.

"I know. I don't blame you." Akira said.

"I just...I never even thought I'd be capable of...anything close to that." Ann said.

Akira nodded. He didn't know what to say, and quite frankly he was exhausted.

"I think...we need to rest. Sleep this off. Then we'll talk later." Akira said.

"I think...that's probably a good idea." Ann said.

So Akira and Ann headed back to their respective homes.

"Your back late again." Sojiro said, when Akira got in.

"I was out with Ann." Akira said.

"Yeah. You texted me that. What do you two kids get up to anyway." Sojiro said.

"Girly stuff, you wouldn't be interested." Akira said.

"You don't have to be snarky about it. I don't have anything against your particular lifestyle. I'm not your enemy here." Sojiro said.

"I wasn't trying to be snarky...I just had a long day. Would like to relax." Akira said.

"I see. Nothing bad happened did it? You didn't get into any trouble?" Sojiro said.

"No I haven't." I said.

"Well good. Get some rest then." Sojiro said.

Akira laid on his bed. His room was still bare. This wasn't a place he lived in, just existed. He'd need to fix that. He felt terrible. They'd made great gains, but they weren't any closer to putting an end to Kamoshida's abuse. He needed to find some way to fix this. To end Kamoshida's terrible actions somehow.

Ann returned to her empty home and slumped on her bed. She was still feeling shaky. The power, that sickening and glorious sensation of unleashing her rage on those monsters, how close she had been to killing Kamoshida. She realized with a bit of fear that she still might kill Kamoshida. If there was no other way to end it...she'd kill him.

She felt sick. But when she thought of Shiho her resolve grew stronger.

Ann would do anything for Shiho, even commit murder.

But she hoped it didn't get that far.


	11. Chapter 11

Before Akira went to bed he received a text.

"Hey Akira?" It was from Ann.

"Hey." Akira responded.

"Can we...promise each other something? I know it might sound stupid." Ann said.

"It doesn't. What do you want to promise?" Akira asked.

"That we will stick by each others sides, no matter what." Ann texted.

"Of course. What else would friends be for. I promise to stick by your side, no matter what." Akira sent back.

"I promise to stick by your side no matter what." Ann texted back.

Akira drifted to sleep shortly thereafter, feeling quite pleasant.

Akira woke back up in that strange place. The wooded fairy tale-esque castle.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The pointy-nosed man said.

"I thought about continuing our previous discussion, which is why I summoned you here. What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?" Igor asked.

"Yeah, more or less." Akira said.

"Glad to hear it, it seems you have nerves of steel." Igor said.

"Your quest determines whether or not the world will fall into ruin. Yet such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the power of Persona, haven't you?" Igor said.

"You mean Ann?" Akira asked.

"Involving yourself with others is an important quality for any magical girl. You've done well. That said, I'm not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return help you mature as well." Igor said.

"Personas, and all magic, are the power of the strength of heart. The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more powerful your magic will become." The girl said.

"So...make friends, earn power?" Akira said.

"Precisely." Igor said.

Akira supposed that made sense. Magic was the power of will made manifest through meanigful symbols. It only made sense that befriending others, particularly those with similar beliefs, would help to empower this magic.

"Yes, you might even need to call on me to further your ambitions." Igor said.

"Very well then, it's a contract." Igor said.

"A contract?" Akira said.

"Yes. I will help your development in exchange for your continued dedication both to your quest and your own development. All you have to do is accept." Igor said.

"I accept." Akira said.

"Very well then. I look forward to watching you grow even stronger." Igor said.

Akira woke up in his own bed the next morning. It felt a bit of a let down that after all that adrenaline and talk of quests and destiny's that he was going to have to get dressed and head to school. On top of that he would have to deal with Kamoshida and the volleyball rally. Still, that was as good a time as any to try and find some way to counter Kamoshida, either in this reality or the other one.

He had a quick breakfast with Sojiro and headed to school. Before he made it to class he found Ann talking to Shiho again.

"...Will you be able to hang out with us after school?" Ann said.

"Yes. Kamoshida said I could take the night off tonight." Shiho said. She didn't sound very good. Her voice was low and sounded sad and tired.

"Perfect. Akira is a lot of fun and a good guy. I'm sure you'll like him." Ann said.

"Hey girls. Mind if I butt in?" Akira said.

"Hey Akira! I was just talking to Shiho about the three of us hanging out today after school. That works for you right?" Ann said.

"Of course. Being new in town I don't particularly have anything else to do, and it sounds like fun." Akira said. Ann smiled.

"Good. It's a date then." Ann said.

And then it was time to get to class.

"Ok, listen up everyone." Kawakami said, getting her classes attention. Though in Akira's case she never had anything but his undivided attention.

"As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed, got it?" Kawakami said.

Akira had heard a lot of Kamoshida's legendary volleyball skills the last few days. However, seeing him in action...he just looked like a bully that relished picking apart people younger and smaller than him.

Akira was an outsider among the boys and Ann was an outsider among the girls. They kept their distance, it wouldn't do to spread rumors about them. Akira took the time to analyze Kamoshida's behavior. In particular, Kamoshida seemed to love to pick on the boy with the blue hair. One spike he sent the boys feet knocked him to the ground and he just wouldn't get up.

"Sorry. Hey are you alright?" Kamoshida said, sounding concerned. He rushed over to the boy.

"Someone! Take him to the nurse's office." Kamoshida said propping him up. To most people Kamoshida would have seemed like a responsible adult, but Akira had been paying attention. Something in his eyes before he had to put on his sympathetic act.

There had to be others who saw through it as well. People who could help to act against Kamoshida. If he could figure out some way to get Kamoshida out of the way on this side, they wouldn't need to resort a more violent method on the other side.

That was possibility number one. Possibility number 2 was to figure out a way to get him to stop what he was doing by altering his cognition somehow. Akira had already sent a message to the mysterious individual that had contacted him about the Cognition realm too. If they could help them do that, then hopefully Akira and Ann could resolve this matter without resorting to murder.

Possibility three was murder. Akira didn't like that possibility for a number of reasons. Morally it wasn't clean. Protecting his victims was priority number one. However the death penalty seemed a bit far. Kamoshida was a scumbag and needed to pay for what he had done, but paying with his life was not satisfying for several reasons. Akira didn't want to become judge, jury and excutioner. He also didn't want to push Ann to committing an act that she couldn't forgive herself for. He didn't know how he'd feel about it either. It's one thing to contemplate murder when your back was against the wall, it was another to actually go through with it.

Worst came to worst he could just grab Ann and Shiho and run away. He had some basic survival skills, they could probably make it a couple of days, weeks if they got lucky.

First things first though. An investigation into Kamoshida.

Ann and Akira snuck away into an alcove filled with a few vending machines.

"What a joke that was. He put together an entire rally all to stroke his own ego and those idiots bought it." Ann said.

"And the way he targeted down that blue-haired kid." Akira said.

"Mishima-san? Yeah. It was completely ridiculous." Ann said.

"Is there anyone you know who can help testify against Kamoshida?" Akira asked.

"Akira, I told you...that's not going to work. This whole school bends over backward for him." Ann said.

"If we get testimony from abuse victims then we can go to the police. They can't ignore that then." Akira said.

"Nobody will talk. And even if they do nobody will listen. You think the police or media care about some kids? They'll want to protect the Olympic medalist." Ann said.

That rung quite true. Akira half knew it before he even asked. He needed to ask though.

"Then we will have to wait on TheKingsgame to respond. They might be the only one that can tell us how we'd be able to get him to stop without..." Akira trailed off.

"Ok. But we can't wait forever. People are depending on us." Ann said. Akira nodded.

Akira and Ann made it back out of their alcove to head back to their game. All of a sudden though Akira felt pushed back and ended up on his butt. Looking up he noticed a guy with dyed blonde hair had slammed into him. Akira had seen him around, but didn't really know him.

"Sorry about that. You alright?" The blonde guy said. Akira nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Akira said.

The blonde guy ran off towards the alcove.

"Sakamoto! Rude!" Ann said calling off after him.

"Are you ok?" Ann asked offering Akira a hand. He accepted it and got up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Akira said.

"Who was that?" Akira asked. Ann sighed.

"That was Ryuji Sakamoto. He's not a bad kid but he can be kinda an idiot." Ann said.

"So a normal teenage guy." Akira said.

"Ha. Yeah pretty much..." Ann said, then gave Akira a look.

"Were you staring at his butt when he ran past?" Ann asked.

"Yeah." Akira said with a shrug.

"Ew." Ann said.

"What? It's a nice butt. He's kinda cute you know?" Akira said.

"If you say so." Ann said.

"You should probably go ahead. We don't want people talking about us right?" Akira said.

"Yeah. Good point." Ann said and walked off. Akira took the time to check his phone.

Still nothing from TheKingsGame. How annoying.

Whatever he at least could take the time to check his mobile games and see if anything was interesting on his social media pages. Nothing mindblowing but good enough for a few minutes diversion.

When he thought Ann had enough distance from him he began moving back to the gym. He wasn't in any particular rush. Both to avoid potential rumors and because Akira had no real desire to be back in the same room as Kamoshida.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the gym?" Kawakami said. Akira had nearly made it back too.

"Well I uh...had to head to the restroom." Akira said.

"And let me guess you got lost." Kawakami said.

"Ha. You got it." Akira said.

"Your not a big sports guy are you?" Kawakami said.

"Not as such no." Akira said.

"That's fine. I was a bit of a tomboy when I was a kid, but I still hated gym. Just head back in and it'll be our secret." Kawakami said.

"Uh. Thanks." Akira said, and he began to move past her but she stopped him.

"Next time you and Ann sneak out though I'm not going to be able to look the other way. You got it?" Kawakami said.

"Yes. I understand." Akira said.

"Good. Now be a good boy and get back in there." Kawakami said. Akira nodded and headed back in.

However the more Akira thought about it, the more he realized that he had a bit more trouble to cause left in him that day. He needed to talk to Mishima. That kid looked in real rough shape. If Akira could get to him, he might talk. Maybe it wouldn't matter in the real world, get Kamoshida fired or arrested. But maybe it could help them in the cognition realm.

It was worth a shot anyway.

"Hey Mishima-san, I wanted to talk to you." Akira said, he managed to catch Mishima, sporting a few more bandages, before he left the building.

"Talk to me...about what?" Mishima said.

"Kamoshida." Akira asked. Mishima paled. He looked like he wanted to run out of the building.

"K-Kamoshida...are you trying to get with one of the girls on the Volleyball team. Or is this about Ann? Cause I really don't want to-" Mishima said.

"It has nothing to do with me wanting to get with girls. Kamoshida's been running you guys pretty hard and I want to know how hard." Akira said.

"W-why would you want to know about that? Di-Did he send you or something? Because I'm not complaining." Mishima said.

"No. I'm trying to help you alright. I can talk up how tough you are and maybe you'll end up a bit more popular." Akira said. Mishima laughed darkly.

"Yeah. Right. Everyone knows what a weakling I am. Kamoshida more then anyone...that's why- I shouldn't be talking about this." Mishima said.

"Why what?" Akira said.

"I-It's nothing." Mishima said, but he was quite clearly panicked, on the verge of a breakdown maybe. Should Akira keep pushing or should he slow down? He wasn't exactly sure.

"What are you two doing? It's almost time for practice Mishima. You're not going to improve your pathetic form if you don't practice." Kamoshida said.

"Could you maybe excuse us for a minute Kamoshida-sensei. We were having a conversation here." Akira said.

Kamoshida looked from Akira, standing defiantly and cooly towards him. Mishima looking down in shame and fear. Kamoshida smiled.

"Ah I get it...you two are...close. Well then, I'll let you two talk. But Mishima will be having to come to practice soon if he wants to stay on the volleyball team." Kamoshida said.

"Thanks. You have an amazing spike by the way Kamoshida-Sensei." Akira said.

"Just don't get in the way of our practice. After all, those rumors are causing quite a stir. Lots of the ladies here are a bit...disturbed." Kamoshida said. A flash of anger crossed Akira's face before it faded back to his cool confidence.

"I-I'll go with you Kamoshida." Mishima said.

"Good. Now you better get with the program too Akira, otherwise, things will become quite uncomfortable for you here at Shujin." Kamoshida said, then he walked off.

"Thanks...for all your help." Mishima said, his shoulders sagging as he walked away. It was a biting comment. Akira had done nothing to help. Might have made things worse for Mishima and who knows how many others who Kamoshida would take his frustrations on.

"You tried Akira. You did more then most would have." Ann said, as she stepped towards him.

"You were watching that?" Akira said.

"Of course. I knew you weren't going to let it go and you'd probably talk to him. So I stuck around to where you'd watch out for him. This place is close to the nurses too." Ann said.

"I made it worse. It was probably best if I didn't talk to him at all." Akira said.

"You didn't know Kamoshida would come and intimidate him. This is only his fault, not yours. You were just trying to help." Ann said.

"Yeah...now I've got to try helping in a different way." Akira said.

"First things first though, we've gotta spend some time with Shiho. That's how we help for now." Ann said.

Akira had a feeling Ann had some sort of grander plan in mind with this whole get together, but he wasn't sure what that could be.

He was excited to see what it was though.


	12. Chapter 12

Shiho met them outside the school and the three began their adventure.

"So uh...what do you want to do?" Shiho said.

"Go shopping. I've got some cash burning a hole in my purse and I need to spend it." Ann said.

"Uh would that um...bore Kurosou-san?" Shiho said.

"Feel free to call me Akira. And no, trust me, I enjoy shopping myself." Akira said.

"But um...we'll probably be looking at a lot of women's clothing and stuff." Shiho said.

"Akira here has quite the fashion sense himself. Just treat him like one of the girls." Ann said.

"Oh...ok." Shiho said.

"So, first things first. Let's go shopping for some girly stuff." Ann said.

Akira loved women's fashion. Well he did appreciate the aesthetics of some clothes intended for men, and he did not ever think he would completely dispense with them, he had a far greater love for women's clothing. Even fairly mundane everyday women's clothing he appreciated, as they still seemed better than the clothes he was expected to wear day after day.

The dress that he wore in the cognition realm only made him long for the ability to wear such clothing even more.

Akira actually had some money. When he appeared in the real world post his trips to the cognition realm, he found some Yen in his pockets. Akira believed that this had something to do with how many of the spirits he killed on the other side, though he wasn't entirely sure about that. So he was fairly confident he could actually buy something at this women's boutique Ann had taken them too.

"So guys what do you want to check out first? purses? Clothes? Shoes? Accessories? This entire trip is on me." Ann said.

"Oh no, I couldn't..." Shiho said.

"I have my own money." Akira said.

"Listen, guys, I have more than enough money from my modeling gig to buy some stuff for you guys. Seriously it's the least I can do." Ann said.

"I don't want to impose." Akira said.

"Akira, you need me anyway if your buying anything here. You don't want to be treated poorly because of your fondness for women's clothing." Ann said.

"That's...fair enough." Akira said.

"And Shiho, please, I feel like I never do anything for you. You deserve nice things, let me do this." Ann said.

"Ann...you do so much. You don't even...fine. You can do this for me, but please don't go overboard." Shiho said.

"I will get you only what you want." Ann said.

"...Ok." Shiho said.

"I'll leave you two alone and go browsing by myself." Akira said.

"Really, you sure about that?" Ann said.

"..You can come with us if you want." Shiho said.

"Nah. I'd rather browse in private for a bit." Akira said. He didn't want to impose on them. He knew that Shiho felt a bit uncomfortable in his presence still, and he felt the same way in hers.

"Ok. Just come find us when you're ready to buy." Ann said. And the duo went off while Akira stuck around to browse.

He felt a bit like he'd entered some kind of forbidden heaven. The sort of clothing was here that he had wanted to wear for so long. Here it was for the taking. All he needed to do was pick some out and get Ann to buy them. Then he could wear them up in his attic. It was...exciting.

"You know none of the stuff on the racks will fit you." A woman's voice said. Akira nearly jumped, and he turned quickly, trying to keep a neutral expression.

"You'd have to get them altered to fit your measurements." The woman said. She was a tall woman wearing a fashionble but somewhat practical black dress. She had a cool look and short black hair and she was gazing at Akira as if looking right through him. She was curvy and Akira couldn't quite keep his eyes in one place while looking at her. She was gorgeous.

"Don't worry. A good deal of men like you come in here. And some women who were born with that designation. Pick something out and I can help you." The woman said.

"And how much would you charge for this service?" Akira said, finding his voice.

"Not much. Just enough so that I have a bit extra in my pocketbook. 20% of the cost of the outfit, I'd say." She said.

Akira picked out a pencil skirt, a blazer and a blouse, practically a gender-bend of his shujin outfit.

"Interesting. Come to the back and I'll take your measurements." She said. Akira hesitated.

"People around here think I'm a whore. If they see you come in, they won't expect me to be taking your measurements for a skirt." She whispered.

"I see." Akira said and followed her to her back room. He couldn't help but feel aroused, his excitement of getting closer to wearing women's clothing mingling pleasantly with being taken care of by a beautiful woman.

She took his measurements. The physical contact she had with Akira was incidental, however, that didn't stop Akira from feeling pleasure and arousal.

"Huh. Ok, there you are. I'll make modifications to these. Actually it shouldn't take too long. Come back tomorrow and they'll be ready." She said.

"O-Ok. So you'll alter them for me just like that." Akira said.

"Yeah just like that. In fact...first one's free." She said.

"Really?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. Kid like you shouldn't have to worry too much about money. After that though, you're going to have to pay." She said.

"Thank you." Akira said and bowed.

"That's not necessary. " She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"What's your name?" Akira asked.

"...Akane. That's all you need. Just ask for me whenever you come here." The woman said.

"I will." Akira said.

"Thank you for this." Shiho said.

"It's no problem. You're my best friend. I'd do anything for you, you know that right?" Ann said. Shiho was blushing.

"You're so kind. But really you shouldn't involve yourself with me. It'll get you in trouble." Shiho said.

"I don't care. I want to help." Ann said.

"Hey girls. I'm back." Akira said showing up. Shiho jumped a bit.

"Akira...you don't have anything with you...is everything alright?" Ann asked.

"Yeah. Apparently I'm getting it tailored, I think the owner of this place is a...sympathetic person." Akira said.

"Oh. Well that's good. I suppose I should pay for this stuff and we should get going." Ann said.

"...Yeah." Shiho said.

The three of them grabbed some coffee and crepes.

"So who was this tailor you met? Guy? Girl?" Ann asked.

"Girl." Akira replied.

"On nice. Was she hot?" Ann said.

"Ann." Shiho scolded.

"Yeah, she was gorgeous actually. Had this whole cool, mysterious aura too her. Pretty damn fashionable too. And wasn't the slightest bit judgy." Akira said.

"Sounds like a catch. Now I wanna meet her." Ann said.

"...Ann, don't you think it's kinda weird that she'd be so nice? I just think...Kurusou-san should be more careful." Shiho said.

"Shiho..." Ann said, she sounded sad.

"I get her point. Don't worry. I'll be careful. I won't let her try and blackmail me. Might gather some intelligence on her too, just in case. Mutually assured destruction." Akira said.

Ann and Shiho just gawked at him.

"What? She told me to be careful." Akira said.

"Y-Yeah but that's..." Ann said.

"Don't worry, I won't actually do anything til she tries something. I'm not that much of a criminal." Akira said.

"Th-that's good to hear." Shiho said.

"A-Anyway, so what did she look like? Classic Japanese beauty type? A gal type? Foreigner?" Ann said.

"

"Closer to classic Japanese I'd say." Akira said.

"Big boobs?" Ann asked.

"Ann!" Shiho said, sounding a bit scandalized.

"What! You aren't curious?" Ann said. Shiho just shook her head and looked away.

"Eh. Medium. Maybe B's or C's." Akira said.

"You two are terrible." Shiho said.

"Oh lighten up! Your not usually this much of a stick in the mud." Ann said.

"Fine. Fine...ok well...did she have a big butt or what?" Shiho said.

"That's the spirit." Ann said.

"Yeah, she had kinda a big butt. Excellent shape to it though." Akira said.

The trio ate their crepes, drank their coffee and joked and laughed. All the while though Akira remembered what Kamoshida really was, what he had done to people at that school. What he was going to do to prevent it.

When Akira got home, he looked at his email. He got a message back from TheKingsGame.

Ann smiled to herself. She'd given Shiho another good day. Ann sensed that she needed that. And if it gave Akira another reason to help her beat Kamoshida, all the better.


	13. Chapter 13

TheKingsgame wrote: "It is possible to alter the cognition of those who have palaces. In order to do so. One must create a calling card of sorts, making the individual aware that thier sin will be stolen. Then a treasure will be made manifest, but it will only remain in a physical form for one day. So send this calling card with care."

TheKingsgame also gave some information concerning the nature of the Cognition realm and how it could be affected by real-life objects taken to that side.

That gave Akira some hope. They could do this. They didn't need to do anything drastic. They could change Kamoshida's mind.

Akira texted Ann.

"I've got something from TheKingsGame, I know how to change Kamoshida's cognition."

"That's great. Thanks Akira. For everything." Ann replied back.

Akira didn't really know how to respond to that. So he didn't.

Instead, Akira began winding down, which in this case meant mentally preparing for what was going to have to be down to create a calling card, infiltrate the depths of Kamoshida's palace, and take his treasure. There were a number of factors he couldn't know about, but he was fairly certain if they were smart about things, they could make it through.

Even with his mind racing with these possibilities, Akira did manage to drift to sleep at a fairly sensible time. He didn't fall into the velvet room. Instead, he saw scattered images, mostly of nature, mostly of places he's never been.

When Akira woke up he felt calm and well-rested. He had some curry and coffee for breakfast and headed to school. On the way there he heard two girls talking about Kamoshida. While they didn't seem to have a bad impression of Kamoshida, they did discuss some peculiar rumors concerning his office. Namely that people could regularly hear screaming coming from it.

Akira went about a normal schoolday. However, he noticed that Ann was distracted. Akira didn't see Shiho until the end of the day. When he did she was bruised and looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Kurosu-san...I'm sorry." Shiho said.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Akira said.

"Yes, I do. Plenty in fact. You've been nothing but kind to myself and Ann and I was suspicious of you. That was...unfair of me. I-It's not who I am." Shiho said.

"Are you alright?" Akira asked.

"I'm fine. It's you and Ann I'm worried about. People like putting labels on you two. And they won't stop. You'll be prisoners to those labels." Shiho said.

"Can't speak for Ann but I can deal with that. And I think Ann would say the same. We can't change what gets us labeled. We can help you." Akira said.

"...I have to go to practice. I'll see you around." Shiho said and she walked off, her shoulders slumped.

Akira felt absolutely powerless.

He headed to a vending machine alcove. Ann had texted him to met her there. Ann was pacing with restless energy.

"That monster hurt her. During gym. She has that black eye. He probably made it look like an accident. That bastard." Ann said.

"We've got what we need to alter him. All we need is to chart the rest of his palace, send a calling card and steal his treasure. Then he should lose what made him see his students as nothing more than his playthings." Akira said.

"H-How long will that take? I don't think she can last much longer." Ann said. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Only a few days if we play it right. One to chart the rest of the dungeon. One to prepare the calling card. Then we'll send it and capture his treasure on the same day." Akira said.

"Three days." Ann said, trying to steady herself.

"Three days." Akira said.

"How can you be sure though? We've had our challenges in the dungeon before. Kamoshida knows we might be back." Ann said.

"Yes. It means his cognition might be on elevated alert. But I don't think it can be that elevated. After all, Kamoshida isn't aware that we are a threat to him in reality. He thinks he has us under his control, that we can't actually touch him. And we have power there. If the two of us work together, we can make our way to the heart of the palace." Akira said.

"Yeah. I have my persona. We-we can do this." Ann said.

"Alright. We need to begin our preparations." Akira said.

"Preparations? What preparations? Can't we just go?" Ann said.

"There are supplies we can get in order to make our time easier in the Cognition world." Akira said.

"Why are we grabbing all this food?" Ann said. Akira had been grabbing a bunch of food and beverages from school services and vending machines.

"In the cognition realm, this stuff has a positive impact on our bodies. Food has associations with health and recovery, so it will help heal our bodies." Akira said.

"I...I see. But couldn't we just get a bunch of medicine?" Ann said.

"We could, and that would be ideal. It probably would be more effective. But I don't think most pharmacies would let a couple of teenagers walk out with armloads of pain meds." Akira said.

"That's...probably a fair point." Ann said.

Akira and Ann headed to a nearby alley.

"Are you ready?" Akira said.

"Yeah." Ann said.

And with that Akira entered the coordinates and they fell into that different world.

They weren't the only ones.

"Where am I...what is this?" Shiho said. She was on her knees, shocked.

"Shiho? What are you doing here?" Ann said.

"I...I have no idea. Kamoshida...he got a call on his cell phone so he left, and I...I ran away. Then I saw you two and I followed you. Then I ended up here." Shiho said.

"She got caught in the radius of our portal. This is...less than desirable." Akira said.

"You think?" Ann said.

"Guys, what the hell is happening here?" Shiho asked.

"Right, sorry. We are...sorta in a different world. Like in Silent Hill." Ann said.

"Way to reassure her." Akira said.

"What? It's all I could think of." Ann said.

"So we're in some kind of nightmare dimension filled with monsters?" Shiho asked.

"Yeah, basically." Ann said.

"Only this place, this castle, is the representation of how Kamoshida views the school, the students going there and his collogues. It's his castle and everyone else is his servant in one way or another." Akira said.

"Ok...next question. Why are you dressed up like a fairytale princess and a dominitrix respectively." Shiho asked.

"These outfits are somehow related to cognition magic." Akira said.

"We have powers here. Akira has magic and I can use something called a Persona which can use magic for me. It's also kinda a part of my mind and consciousness." Ann said.

"This...is a lot." Shiho said.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. You'll have to process this all at home." Ann said.

"H-Hold on. What are you doing here? This castle is in Kamoshida's mind right? Why would you be going here?" Shiho said.

"We're going to go into his mind...and stop him. Soon...you won't have to worry about him again." Ann said.

"No, you're not risking your lives on my account." Shiho said.

"It's not just for you. It's for me. It's for Ann, it's for anyone targeted by that bastards abuse." Akira said.

Shiho looked from Akira to Ann. A new determination sparked in her eyes.

"Your not doing this alone. I'm coming with you." Shiho said.

"No your not. Your defenseless." Ann said.

"If you can learn how to use powers I can too." Shiho said.

"Shiho, please." Ann said.

"Alright." Akira said.

"Akira what are you saying." Ann said.

"If she wants to come with us, we can't refuse. She's involved in this just as much as we are." Akira said. Ann paused for a long moment, thinking it over.

"Alright...but you have to stay close and behind us, otherwise we are getting you out of here." Ann said.

"Fine by me." Shiho said.

With this they began their infiltration.


	14. Chapter 14

Making their way through the first floor was relatively easy, even with the increased guard presence. Akira whittled away some of his opposition with use of his roses. He tried to use these fairly strategically, conserving them for when he absolutely had to use them, as barring his Thorn spell, it was his only ranged attack. He still had to use 5 of his 12 roses on the first floor.

The second floor came out to a room with no enemies. So the trio decided to take a small breather.

"Those roses of yours seem quite powerful." Shiho said.

"I suspect it's just the way I'm using them, against cognition clocked guards from behind in surprise attacks. I suspect a prepared opponent that wasn't cognition cloaked would fare better. Though this is just my speculation." Akira said.

"Are you feeling ok?" Ann asked. Shiho nodded.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. It's sorta weird though. I've never been the sneaky sort but...this feels kinda natural to me." Shiho said.

"Cognition. You aren't supposed to be here, which makes you a thief. Thieves are good at sneaking. This is how the realm of cognition operates." Akira said.

"This world...it has incredible potential and incredible power. It all feels like some strange dream." Shiho said.

"In a way it is. Just one that has impact on the real world." Akira said.

"Lots of dreams do." Ann said. Akira nodded.

"We should get going. We don't know how well patrolled the second floor could be." Akira said.

The two girls nodded and they left the room, which looked like a small break room.

They came out into a small rectangular room with several busts of Kamoshida, a long table and a guard. Akira and co hide behind a table and waited until the guard had his backed turned towards them. Akira then pounced.

"Show me your true form." Akira said.

Two Jack O Lanterns appeared.

"How can there be two of them?" Shiho said.

"The thought forms that are shadows can be locked down by cognition into one body. Fascinating, I'm not sure what that says about how the Cognition realm works." Akira said. A moment after he finished he dodged a flame spell from the Jack O Lantern. Agi, Akira believed it was called.

"We should probably focus on the enemy." Ann said, using her whip to hit one of them. A large gash appeared along the Jack O Lanterns pumpkin head, but he responded by tossing an Agi Spell her way.

Ann wasn't quite able to dodge in time.

"Ann!" Shiho yelled.

"Are you alright?" Akira said, looking over to his friend. However as the smoke cleared, Ann looked, more or less, fine.

"I think so. It hurt for a moment, felt really hot but then..." Ann said. From behind Akira was hit with a glancing blow from a Jack O Lanterns dagger.

Akira reeled back and burst the Jack O Lanterns head with his Spiked Umbrella. Ann blinked and quickly went back into action, using her whip to finish off the Jack O lantern she'd already wounded.

"You guys are both...really impressive. Are you sure your alright?" Shiho said.

"I'm fine. Ann?" Akira asked.

"Y-yeah. I don't know why but that fire spell didn't really hurt me." Ann said.

"It's possible that because your Persona is aligned with Fire, it is able to protect you somewhat from fire magic." Akira said thoughtfully.

"That would come in handy but...wait does that mean I'm weak to other elements?" Ann said.

"Potentially. It's something to keep in mind." Akira said.

They made their way through the next couple of rooms. All of which were monuments to Kamoshida's ego. Ann and Akira took care of any guards they came across, trying to restrict their magic use as much as possible.

"Do you feel...a bit stronger?" Ann said.

"Yeah. I think I know what you mean. Possibly it's training through combat, though our victories might have increased our spiritual and cognitive presence in this realm as well." Akira said.

"So..we're leveling up basically?" Ann said.

"Basically." Akira said.

"That's so cool!" Ann said.

"I'm inclined to agree." Akira said with a smile.

"You two...we are in dangerous territory. Who knows who could walk in this room right now." Shiho said.

"Have you noticed that guards typically don't go room to room? I don't think they can. At least not in normal situations." Akira said.

"If that's true...that's pretty weird. Why do you think that is?" Ann asked.

"Not sure. Maybe the guards have limited decision making abilities when in that armored form. Or maybe it has something to do with Kamoshida's cognition specifically." Akira said.

"Still, that doesn't mean we are immune to being caught. And we've encountered that trap room before, with that miniboss Shadow. So we have to be careful." Ann said.

"Of course." Akira said.

The three left the room they were in and made it down the second-floor hallway. They made it down to a more open room, with a door and a keypad and a portrait over it.

"This door needs a code. Must lead somewhere important." Akira said, biting his gloved thumb absentmindedly in thought. Shiho was looking at the keypad and door as well.

Ann though was staring at the portrait, blinking.

"This picture is of me." Ann said. It was the first portrait that hadn't been of Kamoshida. Akira and Shiho looked up. It was Ann, heavily made up, with a cat ear headband and a small crown. Surprisingly it was just a face profile.

"This is what he thinks of me...how he...That's so gross." Ann said.

"Agreed." Akira said.

Shiho didn't say anything, just looked at the ground and tensed up.

"We shouldn't linger her for much longer. Let's give this a few minutes to think over a possible code and then let's keep moving. If this place does operate like an actual facility, some guards must have the code." Akira said.

Suddenly there was the clank of armor and Akira barely managed to avoid getting cut in half by a gigantic Claymore.

Standing before the trio was an 8-foot tall suit of armor carrying a huge sword one-handed and it's other had a shield with an upside-down pentacle with the face of a goat demon painted on it.

Akira smirked. This looked like it could be a real challenge.

The battle started out seriously. Because with a foe that size they couldn't hesitate. Akira threw a rose right for the knights helmet. The Knight raised it's shield and the Rose deflected off of it.

Ann immediately aimed her whip towards the Knights sword arm. However it seemed to have no effect, and the Knight remained standing firm.

Akira aimed a Piercing Thorn spell right for it's legs and managed to hit it right in the left leg. This caused the Knight to stumble backwards a bit.

The magical symbol on the Knights shield glowed and a bolt of fire went racing towards Akira. Akira, caught off guard, was unable to move or even attempt to block and stumbled backward. Akira's dress wasn't a flame for long, but he felt the tremendous impact and hit of the spell.

Ann responded as quickly as she could.

"Agi." Ann called and her Persona manifested sending a blast of fire towards the Knights back. The Knight shrank back a bit, seemingly recoiling in pain. But It didn't last for long.

The knight responded by slashing Ann and sending her crashing into the nearest wall. Shiho let out a scream.

Akira sent another Piercing Thorn spell. This time hitting it right in the chest, where a heart would be. Then he sent Another Piercing Thorn. Then another. The Knight kept stumbling back, not quick enough to block and seeming to be greatly wounded.

The Knight let out another groan and a burst of flame once again blasted into Akira. Burning him again and putting him on the brink of unconsciousness.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't save them. He used up all his energy on those last few attacks. Akira was on his knees. He could hear the Knight moving, his armor clanking and the sword dragging along the floor.

A voice spoke from within him.

Are you really going to let him win?

No, Akira thought, Never.

You've pushed yourself to the brink. You can't go any further.

I can. I must.

It's impossible.

Nothing is impossible.

There's a limit you haven't yet pushed. A place you haven't yet gone. Because you haven't allowed yourself.

Isn't it ok? Isn't it fine to go beyond the limits of what society wants you to do, wants you to be. To define yourself on your own terms? To sign a contract with your unconscious and live truly free?

Akira signed that contract. He did it with his own blood. And he would do it again and again.

"Then allow me to introduce myself. I am thou and thou art I. The first manifestation of your Psyche. I am Arsene." It was a demon that stood before him in the shape of a masked trickster. A Gentleman burglar. A Phantom thief.

"Slaughter him." Akira said, standing up with much effort.

"Gladly." Arsene replied. A wave of darkness appeared underneath the Knight and blasted him. After a few moments, he fell to the ground, before fading completely.

"The Shows over." Akira said adjusting his left glove. Ann and Shiho were both staring at him. In awe of this sudden burst of energy.

Then he collapsed.


	15. Chapter 15

"Akira! Are you alright?" Ann said rushing over to him.

"...Y-yes I think so...just thoroughly exhausted." Akira said, pushing himself back onto his knees with some strain.

"We need to get you out of here." Ann said.

"No. That's ok. We've gotta keep going." Akira said. The moment the words left his lips he realized how dumb what he said was. In part due to the look on Ann's face, but also to the fact that getting the sentence out practically winded him.

He went too far today. Trying to push further wouldn't end well.

"Ok." Akira said. Ann helped him up and supported him on her shoulder. Carmen healed them as best as she could. But their true enemy at this point was exhaustion.

"Good thing your light. Otherwise, I'd never be able to carry you back." Ann said as they walked back towards the first floor.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're a hell of a lot stronger then you look." Akira said.

"Thanks. I don't know why, I basically never work out." Ann said.

"You just have everything don't you?" Akira said.

"I wouldn't go that far." Ann said.

Shiho was following them, quiet and downcast. She hadn't been able to do anything to help them. That was the most frightening moment of her life. Ann laying near unconscious against the wall. Akira on his knees before the Knights blade. She was sure they'd all die.

But Akira was able to do something amazing. He manifested a power. Something told her that it was within her power to do that too. But she didn't know how. Akira was able to activate it in an emergency. How come she wasn't? When Ann was there and her life was on the line...why couldn't she have been the one to activate it.

She couldn't do anything right.

"Shiho, are you alright? Still with us?" Ann asked.

"Y-yeah." Shiho said.

"You've been quiet since...that last fight." Ann said.

"We are supposed to be quiet right?" Shiho said.

"Yeah I guess...but..." Ann had to stop. They had made it out of the mostly abandoned storage area of the first floor and were nearly out of the castle.

They only had to go out the front door and they were home-free.

"When will you fools learn?" A familiar voice said behind them.

Then the front door became locked with heavy chains. The trio looked back up. Standing at the top of the flight of stairs was Kamoshida. He wasn't alone though. There was another large Knight who had a massive sword at his hip and was holding large chains. Shiho also saw chains coming from the ceiling. Looking up at it's source there were a pair of spider looking creatures who had wrapped the door up with chains coming from their body.

"I suppose you'll never have a chance. Not one you can take advantage of anyway." Kamoshida said and snapped his fingers. The Knight was able to ensnare Ann and Akira with one quick move. In fact, Shiho very much expected this was due to magic or some strange power and not just the Knights strength alone.

"I see they brought another of their little friends. Another little slut. This one fancies herself as some kind of athlete. Don't ya." Kamoshida said approaching Shiho in a slow deliberate pace. Shiho's eyes were on the floor. She couldn't look at him. This strange version of him. It was none of the false charm, none of the "inspiring coach" it was all predator. The kind that Kamoshida adopted during harsh training sessions and behind closed doors.

There was no artifice now and no possible way to escape. This was hell. She'd come to hell.

"Answer my question you little slut." Kamoshida said and slapped Shiho so hard she nearly fell down. There was the rattle of chains as Ann tried to escape her chains, unable to even call out as the chains were wrapped around her mouth. Akira was nearly unconscious.

"Y-Yes. Yes coach." Shiho said, on pure instinct. It was her noble defense mechanism. A way of avoiding another blow.

"Yeah. You do don't you? You stupid slut. But women can't be real athletes. Nobody likes to say it. Nobody likes to admit the truth in this stupid, weak society we live in. We pretend, but we know the truth. We all know it. Women, even if they do possess some talent, can't be athletes on par with their male counterparts. And they won't be for long. No man wants their wife to compete in sports. Hell, no man wants a wife who works. Not really. Every real man craves a housewife that's there to rub his feet, cook his dinner and cater to his needs when he comes home from a hard day's work. " Kamoshida said.

"That's not true." Shiho said. There was steal in her voice and she felt a strange sensation tingling up and down her spine.

"You dare contradict me you little..." Kamoshida started, but something made him stop. Maybe it was the way she kept staring at him. Maybe it was how she didn't recoil as he prepared to strike her again.

"The facts bare out what I'm saying." Kamoshida said.

"You don't care about facts. You only care about control. The world is bit by bit, leaving you behind. It must be frustrating. The only thing you have is an achievement that is from your distant past. You cling to that and want to drag people down so you can stomp on them and feel powerful. Your pathetic." Shiho said. Kamoshida reeled back and slapped Shiho again, but she stood strong.

"You can't see things from other people's perspectives can you? Not even slightly. You can't imagine what it would be like to be your victims. To be any of the people you rant about. You don't want people to be able to make their own choices, just to conform to whatever you think is natural, whatever makes you comfortable. I can't think of anyone weaker than you." Shiho said. Kamoshida went to strike her again but he caught his open palm.

"You don't want to cower in fear forever do you? Your much stronger then that? You want to bend the world to your will. To defy the meager expectations placed on you. You are not mediocre. You are a hero that will set the standards of a new age. That will burn the world down to ashes and build it again in your own image." A voice rang out.

Shiho began to change. Her outfit appered as a toga style dress that came down to her knees, a laural crown appeared around her head and a purple cloak was wrapped around her. Behind her appeared a Persona that was dressed in a similar fashion as her, only completely gold and with a large Javelin.

"Atalanta. Kill the Knight." Shiho said, she was holding Kamoshida in place now, her grip so strong that Kamoshida could only struggle uselessly.

Atlanta buried her Javelin into the chest of the Knight. It died immediately, vanishing along with it's chains and freeing Ann and Akira.

"Let me go, you worthless bitch." Kamoshida said through gritted teath. It was clear through all his anger that he was terrified.

"Atalanta. Kill the spiders." Shiho said.

Atalanta manifested her javelin again and a second as well and through both of them through the spider's bodies. Shiho never averted her eyes from Kamoshiada.

"Shiho we need to go." Ann said, picking up Akira once again. Akira was looking towards Shiho with glazed eyes. Even in his weakened state, he was still absorbing all of this. Shiho didn't have to turn to look to know that Akira's eyes seemed to see right through her.

"I know. I just need to see the look on Kamoshida's face, knowing that I could end him if I wanted too." Shiho said. For a few seconds, Kamoshida's face lost all of it's anger and turned to pure terror.

"You feel that. That's how your victims feel. And I promise you. it won't be the last time you feel it." Shiho said and let him go. He stumbled backward, the rage appearing once again.

"The next time...you'll never get out of here alive." Kamoshida said and scrambled away.

The three walked out casually. Like they were leaving a shop that failed to have what they wanted. They returned to the real world.

Akira's exhaustion in the real world felt slightly less deep then it had been in the Cognitive world. Now he could stand on his own, and had the energy to speak. But all three of them were beat.

"You were amazing Shiho." Ann said.

"I was?" Shiho said. Honestly that all already felt like a dream.

"Marvelous. Like a conquering hero." Akira said. His words were kind but there was something in Akira's eyes that threw Shiho off. He was analyzing her. Like he was trying to figure her out.

"Conquering hero. I like the sound of that." Shiho said.

"We should go home and get some rest." Ann said.

"Agreed. I just need to grab my stuff from the clothing store." Akira said.

"Of course. Just get some good sleep ok." Ann said.

"You don't need to tell me that." Akira said.

Akira made his way over to Akane's shop, and asked for her. The cashier gave him a bit of an odd look and then called her using the phone at her desk.

"Akane-san. Someone is asking for you. A boy, black hair." She said. Shortly thereafter she put down the phone.

"She'll be coming." She said. Akira got butterflies in his stomach. Not only did he have a bit of a crush but...this was big. A step forward.

Akane came forward, looking as beautiful as she did when Akira first saw her. She was holding a bag. It wasn't one from the shop though, it was more discreet.

"Here you are. Best wishes for your girlfriend. You're new to this, being in a realtionship thing. But trust me, you'll get better. More confident." Akane said. Her words were guarded, but Akira got the message.

"Thanks." Akira said. It was stiff, but he hoped she got the gratitude he had for her.

"Any time honey." Akane said. And she walked back to her little room, Akira's eyes couldn't help but follow her. The cashier looked at him with what looked to be thinly veiled disgust. Akira put his head down and walked out.

"What do you got there?" Sojiro asked when he got home.

"It's...nothing." Akira said.

"I'll leave you be. Long as you promise me it's nothing dangerous. I know you might be...having a hard time. But I don't want you hurting yourself or getting into trouble on my watch." Sojiro said.

"It's nothing dangerous. I promise." Akira said.

Akira got to his room and opened up his present. He wore the outfit she had modified for him, and it fit him like a glove. He felt...good. Content. He didn't hate men's clothing, but women's clothing was another way to feel, another way to express himself. And right now it was different, new to him and exciting. Akira barely got any sleep that night. How could he? He was in the midst of the most exciting time of his life.

Ann couldn't get to sleep for another reason. Worry. Shiho could have died, right in front of her. But instead, she grew stronger. Became more powerful. The strength that Shiho had always had, that Kamoshida had driven down, tried to kill. It all came out in a blinding light of vengeance.

But now Ann couldn't insist she stay home. Couldn't force her to drop it. Now she'd have to protect her in both worlds and wasn't that exhausting? Ann needed this to end. Needed to put an end to Kamoshida, one way or another. Otherwise, they'd all be consumed.

Shiho felt liberated. The best she had in ages. She had power now, in the cognition realm. Power to effect change. To end Kamoshida's abuses once and for all. Shiho slept like a baby for the first time in a while.


	16. Chapter 16

When Akira woke up he thanked the gods that it was a Saturday, and he only had to attend a half-day at school. He was exhausted. He ate his coffee and curry while Sojiro gave him a look.

"You look pretty damn tired." Sojiro said.

"Yeah." Akira said.

"Get through school and make sure you get good rest. Whatever the hell you're doing besides sleeping can wait." Sojiro said.

Akira blinked. This situation felt surreal, and the fact that he was so tired didn't help. It felt like a dream.

"You worried about me?" Akira said, tilting his head.

"Yeah. Worried about you getting expelled. It'd make me look bad. You should be worried about that too." Sojiro said.

Akira walked to the train with a fair amount of confidence. Ann managed to meet up with him there.

"Let me guess.. you didn't get much sleep either?" Ann said.

"Not really. I uh...got dressed last night." Akira said.

"Ah. I gotcha. That's exciting. Good for you." Ann said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the support. You free tonight?" Akira asked.

"Of course. We're going to do what we've been doing. We can't slow down." Ann said.

"If we don't slow down then we'll die. We need to take a rest. Think things over." Akira said.

"Fine. But we have to do something soon. We haven't even located the treasure yet." Ann said.

"Don't worry. We'll figure it out." Akira said.

With that, they continued their commute to school.

Apparently, the fact that Akira and Ann both showed up to school looking like zombies didn't do much to quell the rumors that they were in a realtionship. Or to put it more bluntly, a sexual realtionship.

In between class, Kawakami once again approached Akira.

"Those rumors...you and Ann haven't been up to something to get yourselves in trouble have you?" Kawakami asked.

"No. Those rumors...none of them are true. Besides I only have eyes for you." Akira said.'It wasn't his best deflection, but he was tired.

"Cute. Just...stay out of trouble ok? There's nothing I can do if the students turn on you completely and start bullying you." Kawakami said.

"I wager that'll happen to me sooner than later. But I'll take your advice on board." Akira said.

"Sooner or later? Why's that?" Kawakami asked.

"It's nothing. I got bad sleep last night. That's all. See you . I think both of us should be going." Akira said.

She didn't say anything more to him, but he was fairly sure he hadn't convinced her. He was off his game today. He needed more sleep.

Akira was going home when Ann approached him.

"You want to go somewhere. Talk?" Ann said.

'

"Yeah. Of course." Akira said.

Ann and Akira made their way to a secluded booth of a lonely cafe. The place was pretty much empty.

"This place is a perfect getaway huh?" Akira said.

"Yeah. It makes me pretty happy. Apparently this place is super busy on weeknights and in the late evening. But on weekend afternoons it's perfectly quiet." Ann said.

The food there was delicious, the coffee was too, even if less so then Sojiro's. Sojiro's own was the drip of the gods, so that didn't seem quite fair.

"So...what did you call me here to talk about?" Akira said, after he had almost completely finished his plate and was halfway done with his cup of coffee.

"Well...I thought that we should be completely honest with each other. Not try and hide things." Ann said.

"I'm not hiding anything." Akira said.

"Oh no...I didn't mean. I just wanted to...you know, talk about some...god I suck at this. Sorry I'm really, really tired." Ann said.

"Don't worry. I understand. Probably a dick move of me to say that. We're both a bit off our rhythm." Akira said.

"Y-yeah. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you something, and you...you can't tell anyone about this right? I mean...not that I think you would it's just...difficult for me. And it seems so easy for you." Ann said.

"Trust me, nothing is easy for me. Anything you want to remain between us will be between us and us alone." Akira said.

"Thank you." Ann said. It was quiet for a long moment. Several false starts and stops.

"I like girls." Ann said at last. There was a beat which to Ann lasted an eternity as Akira calmly drank a bit more of his coffee.

"Is that all? Ann, dear, this to me was pretty obvious. I wasn't entirely sure, but I was pretty sure, if you understand. And of course, it doesn't matter to me. I'm just glad that you are willing to share it with me." Akira said. Ann breathed a sigh of relief.

"W-wow...that was the first time I said it out loud. You really think it was that obvious?" Ann said.

"Yes. I've seen you checking out girls Ann. And I've seen no evidence of you being interested in guys. Nothing conclusive of course but..." Akira said.

"Pretty obvious anyway." Ann said.

"Not a bad thing, you wear your heart on your sleeve Ann. That's no weakness." Akira said.

"I suppose you would know...liking guys as well as girls." Ann said.

"Huh. You figured out I was bi." I said.

"Yeah. I mean...you sure seem to be into Kawakami and the way you talked about the woman from the store. It seemed like it." Ann said.

"Well, that's all on the table. You want to talk about anything else?" Akira asked.

"Yes. The two of us...we need to look out for each other. If people find out about...any of it, it won't be good for us. So you and me...we have to stick together and take on the world. Change it. Make it better." Ann said.

"It's a deal." Akira said, giving her a kiss on the hand.

I am Thou

Thou Art I

Thou has acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Lovers Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power.

"Woah. Did you...feel that?" Ann said.

"Yes. I believe I did." Akira said. The air around them felt electric. Something significant had happened.

"What...do you think it means?" Ann said.

"I believe we've made a contract. The only question is which of us is the witch and which the demon?" Akira said.

"I dunno. Only thing I know is, we'd look dead sexy in either of those costumes." Ann said. Akira laughed, probably the most since he'd arrived in the city.

"True, true." Akira said.

"I hope this doesn't...change anything between us, you know?" Ann said.

"My dear Ann, of course it does. Now we get to talk about girls. Things are way better now." Akira said. It was Ann's turn to laugh.

"Yeah. I guess so." Ann said.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully.


End file.
